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10 Things of Thankful: Week Four

Linking up again to the blog hop that I vainly think was created just for me:  10 Things of Thankful.

Ten Things of Thankful


1.  I'm thankful for swamp coolers, ceiling fans, and air-conditioning, which makes living in the desert bearable.  

our swamp cooler, before John made a screen to hide it


2.  I'm thankful for sunshine.  Although I realize that the blazing sun contributes to the triple-digit temperatures, it also gives each day a cheerful welcome. 

3.  I'm thankful for the more laid-back routine of summer.  Though I still get up around 5:30 every morning, I don't have to.  Just knowing that I could get up later if I wanted to, starts my day on a happy note.

4.  I'm thankful for old, opulent buildings.  Normally, I place more value on function than style, but I love seeing the decorative touches that were given to buildings of yesteryear. 

John and I went to see the latest Pixar movie, "Monsters U", last night at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood.  I don't know which I enjoyed more, the cute movie, or the theater itself.  It is so ornate, with multiple curtains, a huge old organ, patterned carpeting, and architectural details from floor to ceiling.  

(For photos, check out El Capitan's website.)

5.  I'm thankful for talented musicians.  Before the movie last night, the organist played from memory a selection of Disney tunes.  His feet were moving all over, his hands were moving all over, he was constantly changing the stops, and he was doing it all from memory. 

6.  I'm thankful for online sites, like groupon or livingsocial, that offer good deals--such as discounted tickets to El Capitan.  

7.  I'm thankful for a goofy dog, which gives me much amusement.


Triple-digit heat means sleeping on the cool floor, but wrapped up in the couch cover.

8.  I'm thankful for a treadmill, which allows me to train for my upcoming race inside, out of the heat.  (I ran a full 6.2 miles--10 K--yesterday!)

9.  I'm thankful for a produce cooperative.  I love picking up my box and being greeted by such abundance:


 10.  I'm thankful for a world-wide church, well-organized into geographic congregations called wards.  We have had several families move into our ward recently.  All they had to do was go online, look up their new ward, make a phone call, and ward members were there to help unpack their U-Haul.  Instant friends, instant community. 

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Thanks for weekends, and the chance to reflect on the goodness of the past week.

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Comments

  1. 1. What's a swamp cooler?
    2. I, too, keep getting up early through the summer. It's a nice, quiet start to the morning.
    3. There is a wonderful, old theater back in my hometown which sounds like El Capitan. We went to a few movies there, as well as the ballet, plays, and my high school graduation. I love the look and feel of the place. The best part being the ceiling, which looks just like the nighttime sky full of stars.
    Congrats on the 10K!! You did it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A swamp cooler is basically a big fan with water-soaked pads, which blows cool, moist air through the house. It only provides relief when the humidity is low, though. It's an affordable alternative to air conditioning in the desert.

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  2. I'm a little disappointed by your swamp cooler explanation - I was imagining...adunno what - wet mud plastered over the outside of the house or something awesome like inverse geothermal heating with the water piped through the swamp to cool down before returning to the house to chill it. Ahh well. That set-up's an old trick in places like India, where they used to use curtains of vetiver root dipped in water at the doors and windows.

    I do think this hop could have been made for you - it fits SO well with your whole theme.

    The architecture sounds gorgeous - pictures next time, if you can! Over here I love to go to cities like Oxford, because the buildings there are stunning.

    Yay for movies, fresh produce and community. And for you joining our little Thankful community into the bargain :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've added a link to El Capitan's website, as well as a photo of our swamp cooler. Hopefully that helps.

      Oxford must be lovely! I've never been there, but I really enjoyed touring Salisbury Cathedral when I visited England. I'd love to go back sometime and see Oxford, Bath, the Cotswolds, . . .

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    2. The photo helps lots. I'll check the link in a second (don't you just love how easy the internet makes this? Thank you)

      Salisbury Cathedral's gorgeous (but now quite expensive to go in, as they have a 'suggested donation' (and people posted to make sure you make it) but I recently took my Goddaughter and we got to walk through the vestibules and see the Magna Carta for free. Bath is beautiful too - I've been once, as I recall and it was lovely.

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  3. A wonderful list of thankful items.

    It's been hot here, too

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  4. A whole bunch of great thankful thoughts here! Amen to the AC, we live in west Texas where it was also in triple digits this week, trying to comprehend how people ever survived here without it! I too love the old, ornate architecture with so much detail. New buildings may be pretty, even stunning, but nothing like the grand old ones from years ago. I know it made your movie all that much more enjoyable... along with the organ music. Nothing nicer to listen to than someone who clearly loves the music they can make!

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  5. Nice list! I agree, I love my treadmill, I can't imagine running outside when is 96 degrees and a lot of humidity. I love fresh produce too!

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  6. I am just so impressed that you would have time to train for a race...regardless of how long it is! I couldn't run 6.2 miles. I don't know if I could run a mile. I walk every day but that's NOT the same as running. Congratulations! And good luck in the race. And thank you for the explanation of a swamp cooler...we clearly don't have those in Indiana! :)

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  7. Great list! With the heat we are having it is probably a good thing you get up early! I remember moving here from Michigan and not knowing what a swamp cooler was either -- they just don't work if it is at all humid but for us they are wonderful!

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  8. I'm with Considerer... live in the New(er) England part of the world, your desert cooler would not be a way to cool the warm+humidity weather that we enjoy.

    Early mornings I totally get... if I had to pick a time of the day, I would take 5:00am over 9:00pm any day*

    *I realize that is not *quite* a parallel comparison, lol but it's the quiet freshness of the very early that is so enjoyable

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  9. Your dog reminds me of my cat. When it's really hot, he likes to sleep in the downstairs bathroom that has cool tile floors. Yet he lies on a rug on the cool tile floor. Because he wants to lie somewhere soft just a little more than he wants to lie somewhere cool, I guess. Animals are funny.

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