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Ten Things of Thankful: A Friendly Fourth of July

 

Big Betsy, the largest free-flying American flag, is suspended at the mouth of a canyon in Utah

Good grief! I've typed and backspaced, typed and backspaced, and meanwhile time is a tickin' and eventually the blog link will expire, so without further ado, I present to you a stream-of-consciousness, no-time-for-thinking-too-hard, Ten Things of Thankful post!

1. I'm thankful for the freedoms I enjoy from living in this country. 

2. I'm thankful for the people who fought for, and defend, those freedoms.

3. I'm thankful that on this 4th of July, some good friends visited us. We had fun playing miniature golf and sharing meals together. 

4. I'm thankful for the memories of 4th of July celebrations when I was a child. We lived about a mile away from the city's fireworks display, so every Independence Day we would sit out on blankets in our front yard and enjoy the fireworks. If it was rainy (not unheard of in Oregon!) we just moved inside to the big picture window in the living room. I especially enjoyed the fireworks that went off in all directions and the zip-zip-zip sound that accompanied them. I haven't seen that particular kind of firework in years. 

5. I'm thankful that I now live in a place where I can view fireworks from my backyard. It's so nice to just sit outside and be able to watch displays all over the valley. We make caramel popcorn (John's tradition) and watch the sky light up.

6. I'm thankful for patriotic music, whether it's the nearly impossible to sing "Star Spangled Banner" or the religious "Battle Hymn of the Republic" or any of John Philip Sousa's stirring marches, music adds depth and feeling to the day.

7. I'm thankful for a sense of community, and the ability to contribute, even in small ways. 

8. I'm thankful for summertime. 

9. I'm thankful for a succession of bloom times in my flower beds. Just as one plant is done blooming, another one is starting. It's exciting to see plants grow and become more established.

10. I'm thankful for John. 

Oh no! It's time for a conclusion, and I'm fighting the urge to backspace again. Let's just say: THE END

:-)

Go check out the other posts that have linked up. (And be sure to say hello and thanks to Mimi, a new co-host!)

Comments

  1. I'm thankful to read your list! I am also grateful to live here.

    By the way, if you title your post and don't change the title, you can link up under that title, then write the post, and then publish when you are done. Until you finish the post, clicking the link will take you to an error message, but once your post is live, it will take you to that post, i do it that way all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very well done!
    (Welcome to my world...lol way stream the consciousness. )
    For us, we had a very quiet 4th. Going to the shoreline is our equivalent to a view over the valley.
    The neighbors who are prone to amateur demolition took the day off so the night was nicely quiet.

    ReplyDelete

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