Ten Things of Thankful: Groundhog Day Edition

 

An orchid stem with swelling buds (and an African violet in the background)

Happy Groundhog Day! For those of you not familiar with this tradition, on February 2nd if the groundhog sees his shadow, we will have 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, we will enjoy an early spring. Despite the fact that Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, I am seeing evidence (at least INSIDE my house) that spring is indeed on its way.

1. I'm thankful for an orchid that is getting ready to rebloom. I've not been successful with orchids over the years; I struggle to keep them alive, let alone to have them bloom again. I can't really claim credit on this one, though.

2. I'm thankful for my son's girlfriend. She's a wonderful person in general, and she kept my plants alive for me when John and I were traveling, and I'm learning from her how to care for my orchid. 

3. I'm thankful for another blooming first for me: a potted Echeveria plant. The stem just keeps growing taller and taller and I'm curious to see how tall it will get before the buds open.

Pink buds from an Echeveria plant hang down from its stem. An aloe plant is in the background.

4. I'm thankful for Google image search which informed me that my houseplant is an Echeveria, and not a hens and chicks plant. 

5. I'm thankful that (unlike hens and chicks plants) Echeveria plants do not die after blooming. "Circle of life" and all that notwithstanding, I do appreciate reblooming plants.

Using the phrase "circle of life" not only instantly brings the Lion King soundtrack to mind, it also reminds me of my relatives that have gone before. 

6. I'm thankful I was able to reserve a shelter at a recreational site for a family reunion this summer. The shelter we had last year was already reserved, but another at the same site was still available.

7. I'm thankful for family members. This particular reunion brings together descendants of my great-great-grandparents, so as you can imagine, we need a big chart to show us how we are all related. But the fact is we ARE related, and there is something familiar (by definition, but also by feel) in gathering together.

8. I'm thankful for photos that bring bits of history to life.

Three young men dressed in baseball uniforms (circa mid 1930s?) 

The back of the photo reads, "To Dad with Best Wishes" and is signed "Red, Jack, and Chuck." Red is my grandpa and the catcher on the right, Jack is one of his older brothers and the pitcher in the middle, and Chuck is a younger brother and the first baseman on the left. I discovered this photo at my parents' house last month. I don't ever remember seeing it before, though I had heard stories through the years of my dad's family and baseball. My dad's words: "In high school, I played catcher on the baseball team because Dad was a catcher in his youth. He and his brother Jack were on their high school team in Kansas even though one was in the eighth grade and one was in the seventh. Apparently there were only 7 kids in high school but they managed to win the state championship. Later, Dad and Jack were also invited to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals where Dad caught both Dizzy and Paul Dean." 

What I didn't know before seeing this photo was that my grandpa had the nickname, "Red." I knew red hair was in the genes, but since I didn't really remember my grandpa having much hair at all (and grey at that), and since younger photos were in black and white, I just had never considered what color his hair was in his younger days. 

9. I'm thankful for temples. John and I attended the Orem Temple this past week. We enjoy visiting temples when we travel, so we figured why not do the same in our own state? Of course, we also participate in temple worship in our local temple, but with so many temples nearby, we've decided to make appointments at others as well. When we were there, we bumped into a man and his wife who used to be our stake president years ago in California. It was nice to have a "small world" moment.

10. I'm thankful for John. Luckily, he likes me, because we get to spend a lot of time together now. Retirement? Definitely recommend! 

What are you thankful for today? As always, please leave a comment and/or link up your own blog post, and be sure to check out the other blogger's contributions to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop!

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