Thankful Me

  A Gentoo penguin plods along the beach in the Falkland Islands in December 2024 Sometimes when I sit down to write a Ten Things of Thankful post, a theme clearly develops as I reflect upon the past week. Other times, like today, nothing in particular comes to mind as far as a theme goes, but yet there has been lots to be thankful for. This week, I'm thankful: 1. for a neighborhood ornament exchange. I've managed to miss it every year we've been here, for one reason or another, but this year I finally went. It was fun to chat and laugh with neighbors.  2. for the temple. It offers such a spirit of peace. 3. for game night. About once a week, we get together with youngest son and his girlfriend for dinner and game night. It's always good to laugh and talk together.  4. for the church women's organization. We had our Christmas party on Thursday night, and (OK, maybe there is a theme developing) it was good to laugh and visit together. 5. for talented performers. We w...

  A bright yellow sun sets in an orange sky above mountains and a lake I missed posting last week, though I had a rough draft written on my phone: 1. airport lounges 2. visiting musicians at PDX 3. everyone OK in small plane (an incident at our destination closed the airport for several hours, delaying our arrival home) 4. son picked us up hours later than expected 5. oldest grandchild is now a teenager! 6. oldest son and his wife were able to come for Thanksgiving weekend, as well as youngest son and his girlfriend, and youngest daughter 7. days spent visiting the aquarium, a museum, and a stained glass display 8. snow that waited to fall until after oldest son and his wife were headed home 9. the beginning of the Christmas season 10. John Now on to this past week: I'm thankful for:  1. a haircut. I'm on a twice-a-year schedule, but by the time the next appointment rolls around, I'm definitely ready! (That's probably a sign that I should make try 3 times a year, but le...

  A vintage image of a child pulling a pumpkin in a wagon, with the caption, "Thanksgiving Greeting. A pumpkin I bring you for Thanksgiving Day, With wishes that plenty may e'er with you stay." It's here: the week of Thanksgiving in the United States, when "We gather together" and reflect on "the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child" as well as "friends on earth, and friends above." We feast and enjoy the warmth of shelter and good company. Participating in the Ten Things of Thankful is a fitting way to kick off the week.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, by nature of its title if nothing else, encourages us to enumerate (to 10) things we are thankful for, but also is flexible enough to not require an exact count. Also, as Clark has dubbed "hypo-grats," allowance is made for things that wouldn't appear to fit, but provide opportunity to develop an attitude of gratitude. ("What doesn't kill you make...

  13 year old yellow lab, Drexel, looks into the camera It's been quite the eventful week, so let's dive right into the list! 1. Granddaughter #5 (aka grandchild #7) was born on Sunday afternoon. I haven't met her in person yet, but from what I can tell from the photos I've received, she's adorable. I'm thankful for grandchildren. 2. Drexel turned 13 years old on Tuesday. That is in human years, so he is more a sweet old gentleman than an energetic teen. I'm thankful for Drexel. 3. Tuesday was also Veteran's Day here in the United States, which was a chance to remember those who served our country--including both of my grandfathers, who served in World War II. One grandpa was in the Navy in the Pacific, and the other served in the Army stateside as an Army postal worker. I'm thankful for veterans. My dad's dad, in his Navy uniform My mom's dad, making his rounds on his mail carrier bicycle. 4. Also Tuesday, I was able to cross something off m...

  Stock photo of two hands placed upon an open notebook, preparing to write Have you ever attempted to keep a journal, only to realize that somehow your last entry was from weeks, months, or even years ago? The thought of trying to adequately report on the events of the elapsed time is overwhelming. What happens then? Do you ignore the missing days and just pick up from the present? Do you give a perfunctory accounting, or do you painstakingly try to recreate the past and vow to never again get so far behind?  I'm still trying to figure out just which method I will take for this blog, though I'm leaning toward the middle of the road idea of using a few words and photos in reflection, moving on, and calling it good. If the Bible can be as succinct as "And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:10), then surely I can be forgiven for glossing over September and October. The plan af...

  A blue statue spells out "BYU" while the white Y is visible on the mountains behind I've spent the past week at BYU Education Week , which is an event I love attending whenever it works in my schedule. John and I have some upcoming travel plans, so going to Education Week took away from travel prep time, but it was worth it. However, it is crunch time now, so I'm going to jump right into my list: 1. I'm thankful for presenters. Hundreds of qualified people take time out of their busy schedules to teach at BYU Education Week. 2. I'm thankful for walking. By parking in the stadium lot (which was convenient driving-wise), I could definitely get in some built-in activity every day. 3. I'm thankful for connection. I was able to chat with other attendees. I also had opportunities to socialize with friends and family members outside of Ed Week this week. 4. I'm thankful for opportunities to serve, inside and out of Ed Week. Isn't it wonderful that doing...

Steamboat Geyser at Yellowstone just letting off some steam I missed last weekend's Ten Things of Thankful blog hop because I was camping in Yellowstone National Park and didn't have internet connection nor cell phone coverage. (And, to be honest, even if I had had the ability to post, I was enjoying being disconnected from technology and reconnected with what was going on "in real life." And boy howdy, were there ever things going on around us! My husband and I drove up to Yellowstone for a week, hoping to see Steamboat Geyser erupt. It has been 125 days (as of today) since it last erupted. According to geysertimes.org , that is the longest interval between eruptions in the last 100 eruptions, so we were really hoping it would decide to erupt while we were there. No such luck, but what we missed in geysers, we more than made up for in wildlife sightings! (We didn't completely strike out in the geyser front, either. Of course we saw Old Faithful erupt, but also Sa...

  Drexel the yellow Labrador retriever looks at the camera. His tail is a blur because he is wagging it so quickly. If your household is comprised of at least one pet and multiple humans, you probably already know the importance of communication, particularly: "Did you feed _______(insert pet's name here)?" Or, as we like to ask in our home, "Is Drexel telling the truth?" Drexel is a Labrador retriever, and imbedded deep within his DNA is the notion that if one breakfast is good, two has got to be better. He has a certain way of greeting us if he is wanting a meal: he has pep in his step and an intense stare, as if he is trying to telepathically tell us, "FOOD...FOOD...FOOD." Normally, I can figure out when he's trying to trick me into giving him an extra meal, but this week, he got elevensies at about 7 a.m.  1. Drexel is thankful for food! (And I am thankful for Drexel, even when he tricks me.) Now that we have what Drexel undoubtedly considers t...

  A variety of red and yellow wildflowers bloom in a meadow near Steens Mountain in Oregon Back in April of 2003, Thomas S. Monson gave a talk in General Conference in which he advised: " Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present. " Participating in the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop affords me the chance to look back with gratitude, look forward with optimism, and find satisfaction with the present. Won't you join me in my reflections over the past couple of weeks? The last time I blogged, I was surrounded by apricots from our very productive tree. Thanks  to friends and neighbors who took the excess off my hands, and to various preservation methods, the work of the harvest is over. I needed to be done with apricots because we traveled to Oregon for a family reunion. Although in the past we would do the drive in one day, we are learning the joy of slower travel and decided to take two days to complete the journey. Going at a slower pace allowed u...

  An apricot tree, loaded with ripe fruit I've missed the past couple of weeks of the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, due to having grandchildren come visit and choosing to spend my free time sleeping. Having so much fun wears this grandma out, but I'm always so happy when the grandkids are here! I'm not sure I'm less busy now that they have gone back, but it's a different, not-interrupted type of busy, and it is easier to sit down to compose a post. A batch of apricot pie filling is currently in the water bath canner, and I'm taking this 40-minute time to write.  1. I'm thankful for fruit trees. They are time-consuming when the fruit ripens, but it is also nice to have bottles of home-canned fruit throughout the year.  2. I'm thankful for a working blend door actuator. At least I think that is the thing I am thankful for. On the way to California to pick up the grandchildren, I noticed that the air conditioning was blowing hot on the front passenger si...

  The blue Silver Lake sits among trees in the mountains This past week has been packed with summer fun. My good friend came on Monday and left for her home on Friday. During the time she was here, we walked, hiked, shopped, dined, had dinner with a group of friends, played board games, attended the temple, drove by several other temples that are under construction or in the midst of renovations, went to a rodeo, and talked, talked, talked. I had so much fun!  Scaffolding surrounds the Salt Lake Temple, which is undergoing seismic retrofitting and other renovations A lighted strawberry on the mountainside looks over the arena of the Strawberry Days Rodeo This upcoming week, John and I will continue the summer fun by having our grandchildren come to stay with us for a couple of weeks. If I don't get a Ten Things of Thankful post written next week, it will be because I will be collapsing at the end of every fun-filled day. 😊 No numerical list today, but lots of thanks for frien...

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...