Thankful Thursday | frost and a jellyfish
This week, I am thankful:
for a little bit of frost
Yes, I'm excited for spring! But I can still appreciate a good frosty morning too.
And that's especially true if the frosty morning comes with generous sunshine.
that I'm not sick
If I believed in jinxing, I'd be biting my tongue right now, because this is basically the first week since the end of January that I have been entirely free of sickness.
And it is an AMAZING feeling. Yay!!
Maybe I'm gonna be ok now, and my immune system will have lots of time to recuperate before fall rolls around.
for the jellyfish I saw this week
On Monday I went for a walk on a trail by the water, and when I walked down to the water, I noticed that there were tons of little orange jellyfish by the rocks!
I love to look at jellyfish, so I sat there in the sun by the shore for quite a while, watching the jellyfish sway in the waves.
Sometimes, when I see such lovely things in nature, I feel this welling up of happy gratefulness in my chest, and it almost brings me to tears. Some things just seem impossibly beautiful, and I feel so thankful to be able to see them.
for trails by the water
I often think about how wonderful it is when there are ways for the public to access waterfront, whether it's rivers, bays, or oceans.
Most of us can't afford to live on the water (myself included!) so I really appreciate having a trail to walk on by the water.
for the shared knowledge of books with my girls
On one of my recent walks, I took a video of a deer that was doing a snooty-looking strut across the path, and when I sent it to my girls, we all agreed that we would find this deer super annoying if we tried to be friends with her.
She reminded us of a Jane Austen character (Caroline Bingley) who was walking around the room to show off her figure, and I thought about how fun it is that my girls and I can make references to books we've read, and we all get it.
And it's not just classic literature; sometimes we make references to a Sandra Boynton book or a Richard Scarry book, and we all immediately understand each other.
for a cute cat Lisey shared with me
Someone on Instagram rescued a little tuxedo cat with dwarfism and oh, she has the cutest little face.
Unfortunately, she suffers from a lot of health problems due to her dwarfism, but her owners are doing their best to give her the happiest life possible.
It's a lot of extra work to care for a cat with a disability, and I love that this cat's owners are doing their best to help her.
And also I have a soft spot for her because she is a tuxedo. 😉
for a warm and sunny day yesterday
Temperatures were in the upper 60s, and the afternoon was very sunny. Perfect!
for my carport outlet
I used the sunny weather to vacuum my car, a process made easier by my new carport outlet.
And ooh, my van is so nice and clean inside now! It hadn't been vacuumed in....at least a year. Ahahahaha.
--That my daughter is sleeping in this morning. She doesn't have preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so if she sleeps past the time her brothers get on the bus for school (with my husband, who is the bus driver), then I get the precious Alone In The House time.
--For a day with slightly less wind today. Yesterday was bad, and our school is not all indoors. Days like that remind me why some early settlers of the plains--almost all women--literally went mad with the constant wind.
--For the rhubarb that is coming up in the back garden. Perennials are the best.
--For a dishwasher. I washed dishes by hand for years, and I much prefer the machine. 🙂
--Ditto the washing machine. I read a lot about domestic life in the past, and one of the commonalities among women was how difficult laundry was. Even some of my older neighbors remember washboards and wringers, and none of them miss those.
Ooh yes, alone-in-the-house time is so precious!!
@kristin @ going country, When we were kids, the washer broke down and money was very tight, so for a while Mom washed clothes in the bathtub by hand. She wasn't a fan.
@kristin @ going country, I would not have made it through the Dust Bowl.
@kristin @ going country, Yes to alone in the house time! As much as my hubby and I like doing things together, sometimes I just want to be here with myself.
@kristin @ going country, I am liking my husband's current work schedule; he goes in early in the morning, and gets back at lunchtime. My youngest generally sleeps in late (we homeschool), and I get at least an hour or two of sweet, sweet solitude in the morning.
@Rose, We've done it a few times when our machine wasn't working, and I'm not a fan either. Actually, the washing part isn't so hard, it's the wringing out by hand that's a killer.
@JDinNM, I started reading a book about it (historical fiction) and it was so depressing I couldn't even finish it.
@kristin @ going country, I'm the youngest of 4 children. My mom only had a wringer washer until I came along. While she was hospitalized with me after giving birth--this was in the days when new moms spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital--my dad did the laundry and found that using the wringer washer was such a disagreeable job that he immediately purchased an electric washing machine.
@JDinNM,
Have you watched Ken Burns' documentary series about the Dust Bowl? I don't know how *anyone* survived it. Those folks were made of tough stuff!
@Liz B., If you want to go "old school", read (or reread) Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.
@JDinNM, and Glendon Swarthout book The Homesman! OMG! All of his writings are amazing. Best-known is Bless the Beasts and the Children. The Homesman is about helping women who could not withstand the trials of the life in the west to get out.
That is an adorable cat!
1) After driving to the city for meetings twice this week, I'm ever so grateful that's not part of my daily life. We intentionally chose a house with an easy commute, and although we paid more for it, it's so worth it to us.
2) Similarly, I drove home on Tuesday in the midst of an absolutely terrible storm (one of my top 5 worst drives ever) & I made it home safely. It was a white knuckle drive for 90 minutes, and really not fun.
3) We bought two pieces of exercise equipment during the pandemic (a treadmill, and an elliptical) & I'm regularly grateful for both of them. We usually have great weather, but ....this has been quite a winter. It's such a help to have a way to work out when it's raining, or too dark to go for a run. They are in an awkward place in our house, but I'm used to it at this point, and don't mind.
4) That both of my teens have summer jobs lined up, at the same summer camp! They can carpool, and the schedule will be the same, which will make logistics much easier.
5) For a few days without rain.
@Hawaii Planner, Funny (peculiar, not ha ha) how we pray for rain. Until we don't.
So many things.
I finished my last round of chemo yesterday and rang the bell!
The sun is shining and it will be 80° today.
Snuggles with Lucy, my cat.
A noon time pet sitting job with two sweet dogs.
I pet them and then they settle in and sun themselves. I sit on a funky patio reading.
Lastly, for today, having discovered Kate Bowler books.
Best to all!!
Yay for the chemo being done!!
And I bet you especially appreciate Kate Bowler books because she also had cancer.
@Kristen,
Yes, I do. She's quite an inspiration. I read the first one straight through in one sitting!
@Kathy Mayin,
Congratulations for ringing that bell!
@Kathy Mayin, Congratulations, Kathy, on your last round of chemo. High fives to yourself and Lucy. 🙂
@Kathy Mayin, Yay for the last chemo treatment! Sending loving-kindness and good thoughts for continued recovery and good health.
@Kathy Mayin, Congratulations! A couple days ago I got a video from a friend ringing the bell after her radiation treatment concluded -- such a joyful sight. So happy for you.
@Kathy Mayin, Congrats on finishing your chemo! May you have nothing but happiness and excellent health from now on!
@Kathy Mayin, it’s a joy to hear that you rang the bell, big congrats to you. A friend recently sent a photo of herself doing the same and it was a powerful and joyful image.
@Kathy Mayin,
Congratulations on being done with chemo!
@Kathy Mayin, that's great to hear! Congratulations and cheers to healthy days ahead
@Kathy Mayin, Congratulations on ringing the bell!
@Kathy Mayin, I’m so happy for you as you have completed your chemo! I’m praying for you to regain your strength and good health!!
@Kathy Mayin, What a great day - both for you and for your loved ones! Congratulations!
@Kathy Mayin,
Congratulations on ringing the bell! What an accomplishment!
@Kathy Mayin, Yippee for your finishing chemo!
@Kathy Mayin, Best wishes! Kate Bowler’s podcast Everything Happens is exquisite
@Kathy Mayin,
Yay for ringing the bell! Wishing you many years of excellent health!
I have felt that feeling about nature before, most poignantly while watching Dall’s porpoises repeatedly crossed under the bow of a day cruise ship I was, inviting the captain to drive it faster. After half an hour of swimming along us (ship maxed at 25 mph) they sped away, but I still think about that half hour nearly weekly because of how beautiful it was.
-unexpected softness from people.
-the taste of coffee. After a series of sicknesses coffee tasted bad for several weeks. Now it tastes good again.
-longer days on both ends. I can see the ice when I walk the kids to bus stop and driving home from church is still dusk.
-being back in the classroom. It’s been 10 years since I last subbed and I started again this week. I was terrified I wouldn’t know what to do, but I did!!
-my old license meets all of the requirements for Minnesota licensing, so I I should be able to transfer it. I’m just hoping that my university will have the documentation they need to sign off on the paperwork.
-hope that I’ll be okay. Life is hard right now and completely unstable, but I’m okay and going to be okay. I’m blown away by this—I could be a mess (I still have my moments), but deep down I am full of peace that no matter what happens God will be near, and that’s enough for me.
@Kaitlin, I envy you that. Deep down I am always filled with fear and anxiety.
@Kaitlin, This for me is an incredibly beautiful, uplifting and inspiring post. I wasn't feeling particularly thankful when I got up this morning, but I sure do now. Thank you for the gentle attitude adjustment - you're going on my thankfulness list.
@Kaitlin, I always know when I’m coming down with something because coffee doesn’t taste right. And, oh, the joy of when it does again…it’s a bonus to the overall feeling of wellness returned.
I wish you more and more moments of peace going forward.
@Kaitlin, Hugs to you. I'm so thankful that God is the "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflication" and I pray that you continue to feels His nearness.
I am thankful:
That my youngest daughter's school has a temporary location. The school was driven into by a truck (no one was gravely injured) on March 8th, so she's been out of school for a bit. She was so excited to return to school today!
For the teachers and administrators of her school - they arranged two play dates for the kids, one at a local park, another at their school playground, as well as an open house at the temporary location. These helped the kids feel connected to something normal, and allowed them to see their classmates and teachers looking healthy and whole, not covered in drywall dust and wounds.
For our upcoming spring break vacation. We're going to explore Cleveland for a few days. The kids are mostly excited about daily access to a hotel pool. 🙂 My family growing up traveled a bit more than my husband's did, so my desire for small getaways is higher than his.
For my lovely in-laws. They took all of their grandchildren to a local indoor water park hotel for the weekend. The cousins had a wonderful time together, and their parents all enjoyed a small break.
For the Detroit Institute of Arts. I have been going to this museum since my childhood, and it is wonderful. It's consistently ranked among the best in the nation, and is free to visit for tri-county residents (those counties support it through their taxes). My husband and I explored it for a day while the kiddos were on the trip with their grandparents. So much beauty all in one place! I was moved to tears by two pieces in the African American Art section - they both just grabbed me. I believe that was the first time static visual art has made me cry.
That our favorite local sushi place survived the pandemic. I think it was purchased by a new family, but it's even better than before (and before was pretty darn good!). It was a perfect dinner to end our date at the DIA.
@RB, we used to go to the DIA nearly every year as a school field trip. I loved it every time. Have you ever been to the Toledo Museum of art as well?
@Anna Chan, I adore in the Toledo Museum of Art! I went to their Saturday art classes every week starting when I was six until I was in high school, and I would get dropped off Saturday morning and hang out all day. It's my absolute favorite museum in the whole world, even after visiting the Louvre.
@RB, the Cleveland Museum of Art is lovely. And free!.Not open on Mondays tho. The West Side Market on West 25th is fun to walk around and perhaps purchase lunch. Check the hours because it isn't open every day. Mitchell's Ice Cream is right down the street from the WSM. Is a local chain with excellent ice cream. The CLE Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest is another good place to visit.
@Anna Chan, I had nearly forgotten that I went to the Toledo Museum of Art many years ago, when I lived in Sandusky, OH. Toledo also has a nice zoo.
@RB,
I agree with other commenters about the Cleveland Museum of Art....well worth a visit. My family and I also enjoyed their Natural History Museum, and (of course) the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (if that's something that interests you).
Aww…I have become a member of the Tuxedo Appreciation Club myself. We rescued a litter of five (!) because I thought “this should be easy.” Tuxedoes are their own clan of cat and I am amazed by these. First, they grew up HUGE and we have no room and also by the fact these five are always belly up more than down. Every time I look at them, they are sprawled with their tummies up. They are the sweetest bunch!
1. So I guess I am also thankful for tuxedoes
2, I am thankful we are figuring out how to feed my newly gluten free 17 year old “bottomless pit”
3. I am thankful we narrowed a lot of his problem to dairy
4. I am thankful for dairy free cheeses, butter, cream cheese and whipped cream! They make adaptions of recipes so much easier! (And that Dominoes has a gluten free pizza I can order without cheese and add dairy free cheese to!)
5. I am thankful for Walmart delivery…I am caregiver to my 82 year old mom and this makes my life so much easier
@Sabrina, Tuxedo cats are so clever. I had one who learned how to open the drawer where we kept her catnip...and she'd close it afterwards, thinking, probably, that we'd never guess she'd gotten in! Of course we did when we found her sprawled on the kitchen floor in a catnip haze...and she learned to wake me up in the mornings by gently batting my glasses off my nightstand. When I started keeping my glasses in the drawer, she patiently learned how to nudge the drawer open!
@Sabrina, dominoes has dairy free cheese?! So good to know for my dairy free daughter. And wow—feeding a teenager a GF diet must be quite the challenge!
@Kaitlin, No, that's not what Sabrina said. She adds the dairy-free cheese herself to the GF Dominoes pizza.
@Sabrina, "This should be easy" is the very first entry in my Big Book of Famous Last Words.
@Ingrid, Thanks for catching my misread!
Well, for one-- I am thankful for YOU and the photos you shared, and your commentary! But I am thankful -- so thankful for peace, quiet, order, COFFEE, Isaiah 55, recovery, family, friends, sanity, HOPE -- none of which I could have-- would have-- had without the Lord's willingness to heal me. And I am praying for those who are in the thick of hard senseless, hurting times-- Blog pieces like this are such an encouragement.
Upper 60s would be nice! It's been high of 45 here forever, seems like, and constant rain.
Thankful I get to live by the water. There's usually something interesting to see, whether it's a giant ship going past, a whale, a dolphin, or lights on the water at night from faraway boats. If I walk far enough I can see lazy brown seals sunning themselves. I do not get as excited by jellyfish as Kristen.
Thankful for the many resources I have--time, money, goodwill, real estate, lazy dogs. Everyone needs lazy dogs as a resource. And let's not forget DinGus, the blue-eyed puff of love and contentment.
Thankful for the daffodils. It must be getting to be spring, my favorite season. And my birthday is in spring and I already have a nice present picked out for myself.
Not so thankful for the deer who pester me every day, though the one that's the biggest pain looks like she's pregnant, so I've been doing things like tossing her old apples. Yes, I know, that just makes her more of a pain. Sigh.
@Rose, I wish I had a lazy dog but alas, our dog is a firecracker with loads more energy than me and her dad! But we love her anyway!
@Beverly, Awwww....totally adorable.
I'm thankful our drives to/from North Carolina were mostly uneventful. I don't love DC area traffic but we timed it pretty well, and were also lucky. We did use the Express lanes in VA and are sold on the value of paying to do so
I'm thankful to be home, though I am thankful we were away. Our bed never felt so good, the ability to eat what you want when you want is a modern world wonder. I'm thankful we were able to spend time with old friends and meet some new people.
I'm thankful the weather was warm and spring like yesterday.
I'm thankful our new neighbor had several nice trees planted yesterday. There are rarely too many trees.
I'm thankful my BIL is planning to travel to visit his siblings next month . I don't think that he has traveled much in the past several years.
This week I am thankful...
- for my yoga classes. I only started yoga in January, but I can already feel the results (both physically and mentally).
- that I tolerate a new drug well. So far no side effects, yeah!
- for the beginning of spring and the gardening season. It is gray and rainy outside, but it smells like spring. And that makes me so happy!
- for happy memories: For some reason, a lot of happy memories come up in me this week, such as previous vacations, nice things people have said to me, and so on.
- for my mom who is coming to visit me on Saturday. We plan to work in the garden a bit and then go shopping and have a nice cup of coffee. I've been looking forward to Saturday all week.
Awwwww, that kitty face almost makes me want to cry...but in a good way!
Fascinating about the jellyfish. I only ever associated them with oceans, apparently I have some learning to do!
In the meantime I am thankful for:
1. That I have tomorrow off. Although I have some important things to do I can do them from home and not have to get up at the crack of dawn.
2. The YouTube channel I listen to for music while I work has a grouping of works by Vivaldi, one of my favorite composers. "Four Seasons" is truly a masterpiece!
3. For colleagues that offer to help me in the office while I am still recuperating. Many of them are so thoughtful.
4. For the second Thanksgiving we will have this weekend. Last year we bought a turkey before we knew we were going to a relative's house. We are making a mini feast this weekend, and looking forward to plenty of leftovers.
5. Glad that it is not going to rain all day as I had thought. Schlepping to therapy in a wheelchair in the rain is not fun.
I can't agree enough with your thoughts on nature and on sharing books. Perhaps my favorite thing about homeschooling (which is totally accessible to non-homeschooling parents) is the shared culture of books read together. It creates a family culture of sorts.
This week I am thankful---
*for the back massage my daughter gave me one day. It sorted out some problems for me. It was a kind gesture, un-asked for while I was sitting at the computer getting some work done.
*that it was warm enough outside yesterday that I was able to get out and walk around without repercussions with my face.
*that the therapy I'm doing seems to be helping.
*for homemade bread.
*for the coffee my son just ground for me that I'll enjoy after read aloud time.
*for the opportunity to help somebody.
*for good friends at church.
*that my son has found a roommate who will hopefully not throw food on the floor and allow it to rot. (My son doesn't set the bar too high.)
*that this morning somehow seems cozy in the perfect way.
*that my weight continues to creep (at a snail's pace) down.
*for being surrounded by books.
*for my family.
*for your picture of bread that looks like some old painting.
@Jody S., your son's standard for a roommate made me laugh out loud. 😀
And there's just so much to love about homeschooling, isn't there? But yeah, the way the shared experience of reading the same books adds to a family's unique culture and inside jokes is pretty cool. I'm glad you encouraged non-homeschooling families to share books, too.
Thankful on Thursday for ….
1. Our small tax refund
2. Learning embroidery on line
3. Our couples Bible study life group
4. A trip to Trader Joe’s and sushi for lunch
5. The Hoopla App for audio books
I'm sick right now, so a very good chance to change my mood today!
1. I'm grateful for easy access to covid testing, so that I don't pass my illness on to colleagues and patients.
2. I'm grateful for my apartment, which IS by water (by a Great Lake, no less!) which is so beautiful. We'll only be in this neighbourhood for a few years, so I try to enjoy it as much as I can.
3. I'm grateful to have laundry and a dishwasher in-unit. It makes household chores so much easier.
4. I'm grateful for my mom, who went shopping for my daughter's spring clothes at a second-hand store in her city (and wouldn't let me pay her back.) So kind of her, and an errand crossed off my list.
5. I'm grateful for past healthy me, who bought a double-pack of stew meat, made and froze chicken broth, and froze leftover tomato paste. I can make stew fairly easily for a pretty hands-off dinner.
A clean, vacuumed car is so satisfying! If it weren't raining buckets this weekend I'd be doing that. Ha.
--That our oldest son is adjusting to the higher elevation where he is right now; the first week he was so tired from both the elevation change (we live at 700 feet above sea level, and where he's working right now is 5000 feet above sea level!) and the work schedule that he was a little loopy. He texted me last Sunday to say "Happy Mothers Day!" forgetting that it was March, not May! 😀
--That he was so thoughtful to text just _thinking_ it was Mother's Day makes me smile. As a friend of mine pointed out, "He gets points for trying!"
--My youngest came in early the other morning and woke me up because his app that plays Enya for him all night wasn't working. While I wasn't happy about getting woken up, I was thankful that a) it wasn't a *real* emergency like illness, and b) he felt confident that I could solve his tech problem, and he was secure enough to come and get me. Also thankful that we got back to sleep for a few hours!
--Thankful for warmer temperatures here, even if it comes with lots of rain.
--For the bunny I spied in our backyard, a sure sign of spring! I love seeing rabbits, though if I were a gardener I am sure I'd feel differently. 😉
@Karen A., Every day is Mother's Day for good moms like you. Every time I read one of your posts I think "Boy, do those kids love their mother."
@Karen A., It was Mother's Day last Sunday in Great Britain, so his text would have been on time if you were British!
@Karen A., it was Mothers Day in Ireland and the UK last Sunday!
@Joan from Dublin, Ireland, and Lindsey--I wonder if he saw that somewhere and that's why he got mixed up! I'll tell him that, he'll be pleased. 🙂
@JDinNM, Aw, thanks! Not sure I've done a lot to deserve it, but I do my best.
@Joan from Dublin, Ireland, Went to Ireland last week for the first time last week & I could not be more in love with your country ❤️
@Joan from Dublin, Ireland, I also forgot to mention that we went to Ireland on our honeymoon (gosh, 24 years ago) and had the loveliest time. The people were all, uniformly, wonderfully welcoming. Someday I hope to go back!
1. For an upcoming trip to the beach with my son, just me and him with days to play and enjoy one another.
2. For mindfulness & self-care. I have learned that these two things become exponentially more important when we are caring for someone that is ill. I am so glad that I picked up these skills earlier in life so it is a bit easier to draw from them now that I am in a season of life where I really need to practice them daily.
3. Warm days and fresh composted organic dirt in the garden. This means that it will only be a couple of weeks before planting begins!
4. Coffee. Especially on the days when sleep has eluded me the night before.
5. Our pups who keep us laughing with their antics and spoil us with their sweet snuggles every day.
Aw, the Richard Scarry reference: my 40 year old and 37 year old and I still remember finding Goldbug. "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go" was one of their very favorite books ever.
1. I'm thankful that the two mornings of temps in the mid-thirties are now past and I can quit covering my tender plants and scraping ice off of my windshield for the rest of this week.
2. I'm thankful that the live oak flowers are about done dropping everywhere, including in my hair where I often don't know they are there and walk around in public with them sitting on my head, oh dear.
3. I'm thankful for the male cardinal that decided to sit on our open back porch. I got to watch him hop about and sing for a while, and it was so sweet.
4. I'm thankful to see my first nectarine blooms. I may not get fruit this year, but the tree is heading in the right direction.
5. I'm thankful for a good dental checkup this week. I'm also thankful for dentists who will do what it takes to avoid hurting you.
@JD, I have vague recollections of Richard Scarry books from when I was a kid and didn't hesitate to get them for our kids. They loved them and I gave out a few to friends. We have "Cars and Trucks" but spent the most time reading "What Do People Do All Day?" So many interesting things to learn about - how a house is built, how roads are made, how the mail goes from sender to receiver...such great stuff! This book was one of the books that we haven't given up yet even though we only have tweens in the house.
@JD, My middle son had a period of about a month as a toddler when he woke up for the day disgustingly early--like 4 a.m.--and always want to read "Do-bah" (Goldbug) first thing. So for a month, either I or my husband drank our coffee in the dead dark of morning while looking for Goldbug. I have some unpleasant flashbacks whenever I read that book to my daughter now. 🙂
@CrunchyCake, Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? was one of my favourite books as a child. So much detail and great humour!
For me being near water is very soothing.
Thankful for Kaitlin's lovely post this morning.
Thankful for a (somewhat difficult) client's message in my email inbox this morning ("I really appreciate your patience, humor, and encouragement", "sounds like this may not be as complicated as I was anticipating or creating it"). Yes!
Thankful it wasn't raining and was just a bit warmer this morning so we got our frisbee game on. Exhausted puppies = calmer mornings.
Thankful the store finally had some nice lemons at a decent price (3/$1). It doesn't seem like a lot to ask for until it's a lot to ask for.
Onward and upward! Hope everyone has a lovely, happy and productive day.
Kristen, thank you for yesterday’s post. Seeing something broken down restored to something beautiful again is beautiful. Maybe because it can be a metaphor of what God does in my broken places.
- I got my haircut this week and there was a lot of hair on the floor and as I watched her snipping at my hair I saw how thick it was. A little over a year ago I had lost half my hair- over about a three month period, an after effect from the stress of Covid. So I’m grateful for my hair and how lush it is now!
-Several trees are in full bloom in my neighborhood, they look like they belong in a fairy land.
-Spring is here!
That jellyfish is definitely a stunner (no pun intended!)
I’m thankful for:
- The fact grading my backyard has kept it from flooding. The drainage culvert behind my cabin has been working overtime!
- That we might (fingers crossed hard) have seen our last snow fall this week. One of my neighbors has been tracking the cumulative over this winter and we surpassed 14 ft!
- That I was able to get an appointment with a specialist in the Phoenix metro area, after learning our local Pulmonary office is shutting down.
Thankful for the bright yellow daffodils that are blooming
Thankful that a bridge on our road is almost finished. The closure has added several miles to my drive every day and it will be wonderful to have it open again.
Thankful that my 2+4 year olds like to grocery shop with me.
Thankful to have my in laws close by, and that they are gracious, kind, and helpful
Thankful we found a small sedan to buy. We can use it at least 50% of the time to save on gas and wear and tear on our larger vehicle.
I am thankful for filing out paperwork for my new job, but wait for background checks to get complete. I still have swim lessons but am just about done with lifeguarding at my old pool. I will take my spring break and complete Lifeguard Instructor class, and renew my certificate and get my scuba diving certificate renewed while my family heads to Colorado. They will ski and see our old friends but our dog we adopted is almost 15 and takes pills 4 times a day. I just did not have the heart to board her. I am accepting a summer job to run a community pool. Lot’s to be thankful for.
Always thankful for this community and the genuine care we have for one another in our diverse regions, ages, situations.
Spring: we have had slow rain or mist for about three days and while it makes for gloom it is always appreciated for replenishing the water table. My tete a tete daffodils are budding and the Lenten roses have been so for about a week.
I read Richard Scarry books to my niece when she was little. I liked the references that even adults could chuckle about. I think Lowly Worm was my favorite character. Thankful for memories like that. My niece is in her mid thirties now.
Thankful for my siblings. We are seldom in each others business, but my brother could not reach my other brother by phone and turned to me for help and concern. Turns out his phone was turned off, but because I converse often enough with him, I knew some of my brother's friends that I could reach out to. It all ended up rather humorous but it's not lost on me that it could have been different.
I didn't know cats could have dwarfism! Learning something new every day
Today I'm grateful for:
*a week-end alone! Hubby and kids are leaving, I'm staying put. Yessssss please! It's so nice when it's once in a while, usually once a year (I would not want it to be my "normal" life)
* A reliable car. Having a car is a luxury and it's so easy to take it for granted.
*My 2015 cellphone stopped charging yesterday, so I was ready to bite the bullet and buy a new one (well, a refurbished older model. I couldn't care less about new technology). But today it seems to have self-repaired, yay!
* For online shopping that offers Plus Size clothing both cute and so much more affordable compared to physical stores. With free shipping. And free returns. Yay!
* To live in an age and in a place (Canada) where women's rights are taken into account
That jellyfish is beautiful!
This week I'm thankful:
* that freezing temperatures and snow freeze the ground. I, too, am looking forward to spring, but while my face was freezing on Saturday as we split and stacked firewood, I was thankful that the ground was frozen. The tasks would have been more difficult with wet, soft ground.
* for the ladies from my childhood church. I saw many of them on Saturday and every time I see them I am reminded of how thankful I am for how they invested in me and loved me while I was growing up.
* that so many of our friends are also staying home for spring break. I dream of someday (maybe when our kids are in middle or high school) going on vacation together like my parents' friends did when I was younger - heck, they still vacation together - but for now it will be fun to all be home for a week and do things together like swim, go to the zoo, and have playdates.
* for my husband's thoughtfulness with my birthday. He and the kids got me gifts that I had thought of, but he's so good at also seeing what will be helpful or enjoyable for me and getting it before I ever thought of it.
* for my Community Bible Study group. Goodness, I love those ladies!
@Ruth T, we didn't do any big trips with our kids until later elementary/early middle school, although we sometimes would go on an overnight at a hotel with a pool during spring break, which they thought was lots of fun. The benefit of waiting till your kids are a little bit older when going on big trips is that they will remember it more (and also, they will be able to handle longer days of activity better). I love to travel, so I felt "stuck" when my kids were younger and our travel was limited to family trips/camping, but now I'm glad we didn't push them. My youngest, especially, was not a good traveler when she was little (and now she's great at it!). I hope you get to have fun family trips as your kids grow and mature, but in the meantime, you are doing a great job of building memories. 🙂
@Kris, Thank you! I so appreciate you!
Oh my. It's Thursday already. How did that happen?
I'm thankful that, at the moment, it isn't precipitating. We seem to be in a pattern of warming up during the week, only to be hit with some sort of snowy cold weather on Fridays and Saturdays. I like snow, but it's the time of year when I'm done with it.
For a newly opened coffee shop. I went there this morning and had a delicious pour-over coffee. Yum.
For my niece, who is really more like a friend, who met up with me for coffee.
For good health.
For end-of-season sales. I found some excellent deals at Penney's yesterday for my daughter and me--2 pairs of jeans, two 3/4 sleeve cotton tops, a fleece, and a shacket, all for a little over $50. Woo hoo!
Jellyfish!?!? I've only ever seen them at the aquarium. From what I gather, you live quite a bit south of me and it must be that you see them in nature because its warmer there I'd guess. While you are grateful for almost 70 degrees, we have hit just under 60 (on Tuesday-It was nice). Anyway, its nice to hear how different areas have different things in nature. Maybe someday I'll see one if I ever make it down there.
*Before posting a quick google search tells me that jellyfish live in warm or cold water (temp doesn't matter) and that we have Lions Mane jellyfish on the Cape. I have never been there but I gather that the ones we have are along the coast as opposed to in streams, ponds, lakes, etc.
I love your nature photographs. They make me want to grab my camera and head out to take some myself.
- I'm thankful that our adult daughter loves to read, just like her mom. We often share books and I enjoy talking about them with her.
- I'm thankful that our son is giving serious consideration into going back to college and is researching what he would like to study. I love that he is artistic, but that art degree is not earning him a living wage
- I'm thankful for the beautiful blue skies and 80-degree temperatures today. Will make getting another load from the hoarder house much more pleasant than the cold and rainy weather we had earlier in the week
- I'm thankful and feeling blessed that a neighbor is seriously interested in purchasing the hoarder house from Mom's estate. It has been a real struggle trying to figure out what to do with the house and land since my siblings and I do not want to own it
- I'm thankful that my company is taking into consideration seniority when assigning new office locations. I've been with this company for 19 years and would have been very disappointed if I had to give up my large corner office with a view of the lake for a small office without a view
A few things I’m thankful for this week:
-I was sick for a few weeks (but not as long as you, Kristen) and am finally feeling better. I am always so grateful for my health the first few days of feeling better. It’s definitely something I usually take for granted.
-My sister was getting rid of clothing, so, as is our practice, she let me and my other sister go through everything before donating it. I love getting new to me clothing that way!
- My son is 2 and, despite all the warnings about 2 year olds being terrors, he is just so much fun. Yes, he’s a handful at times, but mostly he’s funny and silly and affectionate and I love it.
-We’re getting rain today, instead of snow! So spring is on its way.
-I recently moved closer to my family, and I can’t get over how wonderful it is to see them for a day regularly, instead of for a week once a year.
Btw, I love this practice of writing down and thinking through things I’m thankful for. It brings so much joy to me to think about my own things, and to hear about others’ thankfulness!
@Hannah, oh also, I’m thankful it’s becoming warm enough for me to run outside!
Kristen! Please, you have to share the video of the Bingley deer! We have to see Caroline.
Sometimes I feel "overwhelmed" by natures beauty too. Beside that tight feeling in my chest and teary eyes I use to wish to share the experience with my daughter. (Now it is my grandkids)
Yes! That's part of the reason I take pictures...so I can share with others.
This week I'm thankful..
- for a lovely outdoor visit with a friend. It was so nice outside that we sat out on her front porch for a long chat.
- that my husband made it home safely after a work trip.
- that one nagging issue on my dad's estate is resolved! YES!!!
- that I don't have any scheduled trips out of town until July. Oh my goodness. I've been traveling close to once a month since May 2021 and I am so, so, so happy to be done with that period in my life.
- for $6 rotisserie chicken days at my local store. It feeds me and my husband for at least 2 meals and it allows me to push the easy button, and that makes me so happy.
I am thankful for continued family health.
I am thankful for warmer days and spring blossoms.
I am thankful for lots of rain which leads to soft soil. Hopefully, I will have enough energy to spend a lot of time in the garden this weekend taking advantage of the soft soil.
I am thankful for the many birds that visit our backyard. It is fun to watch the crows prepare their nests and store nuts in the grass. (I didn't know crows did that.)
I am thankful for the the sweet and spicy tacos we have been enjoying all week. (I am also thankful that my husband loves leftovers as much as I do.)
I am actually grateful that we couldn't afford riverfront property because of all the flooding here since March 9! But of course I have to walk down to the river as often as possible to see how it looks.
In spite of the flooding and almost daily rain, I am so very thankful for both rain and snow in the mountains.
So very thankful that I have been able to work from home since 2002, and only commute 50 miles round trip once a week (to a gallery where I teach drawing lessons).
So very thankful for a husband who has faithfully prepared most of our dinners since he retired 11 years ago. (So what if he only has 3 or 4 menu items!)
So very thankful for this blog which causes me to focus on the good things in life at least once a week.
So very thankful for my '96 Accord, running just fine with 247,000 miles on it.
This comment could be titled "So Very Thankful". 😎
Thankful for:
1. A friend of mine has been bed ridden for some years now. She is well taken care of but there are certain things that don't get done for you. She grows a tremendous amount of hair on her face, as in looking like a full beard, and was so embarrassed that she started refusing to allow people to visit her. This week someone from her church arranged to have an esthetician do a home visit to remove her facial hair. It makes my heart thankful on several levels: that my friend will feel better about herself, that a church member went to the trouble to find an esthetician willing to do this, and that this person was willing to drag her equipment to my friend and is not charging her extra for the home visit.
2. A relative who insists on the latest iPhone every year and, every year, gives us his "old" one. The husband and I take turns as to which one of us inherits the gift and this year it is me. This has been going on for a decade, I think, and each year he says he wants no payment. He does like babka and I make a mean chocolate babka, so I do drop off a loaf periodically. He made some wildly successful investments and I think we have become his favorite charity for old electronics and the content of his fridge just before he is about to travel.
3. Pound hound, who makes us laugh daily. Honestly, it makes me so happy to think that he has been with us for so long now that he does not really remember the abuse and starvation that brought him to the animal shelter.
4. Sumo oranges. I continue to be thankful each time I go to the grocery store and see that they are still in season. Perhaps the most delicious fruit I have ever eaten.
5. The husband, always the husband.
Yes, Caroline Bingley; I see her, too. What fun!
I am very thankful that the cracks in my walls are just cosmetic (live in clay soil country and during last summer’s drought even foundation drip lines don’t “work”) and not structural. Cosmetically it’s not a good look but will have to live with them even when I repaint -will occur again per structural engineer- depending on our weather wet and dry cycles.
1 - that I'm getting better. I have been sick but I'm on the mend.
2 - for all the laughter my grandson creates. He made me laugh riding in the car this week wearing his new snazzy sunglasses. He said..."Grammy, do you ever wear sunglasses for fashion?" Hilarious! He's only 5.
I made him laugh when he watched me gargle for the first time because my throat was so sore. I warned him not to laugh because I didn't want to choke. He stayed perfectly still & quiet. Then when I finished & turned to him he exploded...rolling around laughing as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. It was worth a sore throat!
3- Playing GeoGuess online with my 30 yr old son. He introduced the game to me this week & we have had the best time playing.
4- Getting a bid on building our new house & finding it safely under our hoped budget...so it's a go. It would not have gone forward if the bid was too high.
5- For walks in the woods. I've missed my walks while I was sick & am so glad to be back to walking.
Thankful this week was way less bumpy than last week. The time change literally turns my brain into mush.
For the absolute miracle that happened that fixed a mistake I made. Large lesson learned.
That my oldest and the grands were able to visit my youngest in beautiful Savannah.
The grands were able to see dolphins up close to the boat they were in. They were so excited.
For my brother who has helped with some pre-retirement issues.
Also that our oldest doggo who just turned 4 sleeps till 6 am, he normally gets up between 4:30 and 5 am. Not sure why he does this other than perhaps he is happy to see us even though we are right there with him.
I’m being thankful in advance that tomorrow we will receive good news from the doctor regarding my husband's MRI yesterday. Saying it here is a sort of prayer that it’s true. Thanks for the opportunity via this wonderful blog.
Kristen, your photographs continue to amaze with their beauty. I would be printing them and hanging them framed around the house and it would look like an art gallery.
I like the picture of the jellyfish, I find them endlessly fascinating. That being said, I was stung by a jellyfish, or to be more precise, a type of jellyfish that we used to call "Bluebottles". It is like a big blue bubble with a long blue tentacle or tail, which wrapped around my leg. It was painful. I was maybe 8-10 years old on vacation at the seaside, living in an African country.
The weather has been beautiful of late; we are averaging temperatures around 7 - 12C. Though with lots of rain; Spring here is a rainy season. I have been on more walks this week. Hoping it's the end of the snow; but that being said, it almost always snows on my birthday around the beginning of April.
For getting some of my cooking mojo back; I have been in a cooking slump for a while, so I am very happy to be trying different recipes again, as well as some of the usual stand-by's.
The kitties: always the kitties. Junior cat almost 14 is just chomping at the bit for the weather to warm up so that she can spend time outside.
That jelly fish is very striking, and that cat is so impossibly cute!
This week I am thankful for full time employment. My new job is past the honeymoon stage with all the regular annoyances starting to become obvious, but I am still so thankful to be getting paid almost twice as much as I used to be for not really that much more work comparatively. Every time I want to snap at a coworker, I just keep reminding myself that I am being paid pretty well now to put up with all the nonsense. I am also thankful that I have spring break coming up very soon!
That's so cool that you saw wild jellyfish!
I know, right? And I didn't even have to swim with them. 😉