Thankful Me

  A pinkish purple petunia blooms in the lawn next to a concrete slab I did not plant petunias, and yet I have a petunia plant blooming in my backyard, at the base of the stairs leading to my backdoor. Despite having to compete with lawn and weeds, and probably having been stepped on a time or two by people or Drexel the Adorable Dog, somehow the little petunia managed to survive and bloom. It was a pleasant surprise!  The adage, "Bloom where you are planted," doesn't quite apply. "Planted" sounds planned and permanent, but this petite petunia was neither wished for, nor did it appear in an ideal location. To make this into a life lesson, I think the saying should be, "Bloom even when you aren't planted." No matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, by just being ourselves and doing what comes naturally, we can bring joy to those around us.  1. I'm thankful for unexpected flowers in unexpected places.  "Seatbelts and a heater" we...

My four granddaughters harvesting raspberries and strawberries from my garden Can you believe it is September already? The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop took a break over August, but I actually also missed the last couple of linkups in July, so I have plenty of catching up to do! Without further ado, here is my "What I Did Over Summer Vacation" post, with plenty of thanks thrown in.  July was filled with family times. John and I drove with our youngest son to the Oregon coast, where we gathered with my parents, siblings, oldest daughter, a sister-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews for a weekend filled with good conversation, laughter, and games.  A cousin came by for a couple of hours as well, which was wonderful.  Left to right: my brother, sister, dad, mom, and me We didn't plan tons of activities, but we did visit a local escape room one day. I'm proud to announce that we set the all-time record for quickest escape (23 minutes 13 seconds).  I was happy to t...

  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 windo...

  The Beach Boys take the stage in Logan, Utah What a week! In my circle of friends and family, there have been quite a few people who are currently facing challenges, and those individuals have been on my mind and in my prayers (and phone calls/texts/messages.)  Missing segue, but keep reading and hopefully everything will make sense in the end. Years ago, I attended a concert at a local fair. The Beach Boys were performing, and the concert was made even better because many friends were there, too. A month or so ago, I read that The Beach Boys were going to perform in Logan, Utah, at the end of June, so I purchased tickets for John and I to go. On the night of the concert, as we were waiting for the performance to start, I reminisced back to that other concert, with so many of our friends in attendance.  An accident happened to the husband of one of those friends this week, and he is currently hospitalized with numerous injuries. As I sat in the stadium, I considered and...

  Multnomah Falls, with its iconic bridge across the water Today I'm adhering to the "a picture's worth a thousand words" mantra. Hope you enjoy, and can notice the beauty that surrounds you! Check out the other entries on the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop ! A portion of the Washington Park Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon A sparrow perches on a cluster of pink roses A bee enjoys a yellow blossom A moss-covered log sits at the base of the upper Multnomah Falls Delphinium and mock orange are putting on quite a display this year Pink phlox brightens a corner of the garden The "Top Hat" tomato I'm growing from seed indoors is starting to produce Lettuce and basil also are growing well indoors A polka-dot plant is putting out big pink leaves John, doing his best to swallow a waterfall and make me laugh

  My dad holds me as we attend my first family reunion (I wrote this on Wednesday, thinking it was a day later and I'd be able to link to the blog hop if I stayed up late enough that night. Then the days went by and I forgot until this morning. All this to say, take the "tomorrows" and other time references in this post with a grain of salt.) :-) Say the words, "family reunion," and I immediately think "picnic." My great-great-grandparents' descendants started holding annual picnics more than 100 years ago, and settled into a favorite location about 65 years ago. As you might imagine, many of the original picnic-goers have left this world, and many of the descendants have moved from the state. It has been almost 20 years since the last reunion, but this year, some of us are gathering again.  My great-grandparents, dressed to the nines for a picnic circa 1920 The couple standing at the back left are the same couple as in the photo above. My grandma ...

  My two-year-old granddaughter buries her face in a pink peony blossom This is the weekend that the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop celebrates its tenth birthday! Ten years! As I reflect back, I think about global/national events, family changes, the TToT community, and how participation in the TToT has changed me personally.  Wars, a pandemic, political divisions, natural disasters, etc. can make the world seem a dark, scary place. But even in the midst of all those challenges, light can be found, and taking time each week to find ten things to be thankful for brings hope and peace.  Ten years ago, I lived in California and still had a child living at home. My grandma was still alive. I had one grandchild. Now, John and I are empty-nesters in Utah, my grandma has passed away, and John and I  have 6 grandchildren. The TToT has helped me remember to be thankful throughout change. Lizzie began the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, and she has a gift for creating commun...