This week, I am thankful:
that we are decidedly not in a drought now
Our summer started off very dry, but we’ve had regular thunderstorms now for a while and the world is very green and wet here.
It does make the air more humid, but hey, that’s summer here on the east coast.
for the interesting fungi that resulted from the rain
Yesterday I walked on a trail I hadn’t been on for a while, and whoa, there were tons of colorful and interesting fungi all around!
It was one of those walks that took an unnecessarily long time because I kept stopping to take pictures. 😉
Aren’t these ones so interesting?
It’s unusual to see mushrooms growing out of a live tree!
I saw lots of these red guys growing on fallen trees.
And these ones are SO tiny!
Not often you see mushrooms above your head! This is a half-fallen tree.
that my grass doesn’t grow very fast
Most of my yard here is in the shade, which means the grass/weeds don’t grow at a tremendous clip.
This means I don’t have to mow my grass all that often, which is lovely because boy, I really don’t enjoy yard work.
Also as I mentioned, we had a period of drought this summer, which means I got an even longer break from mowing! Obviously, drought is not wonderful, but I did appreciate the slow grass growth.
for my neighbor who lets me use her riding mower
My house is on a 3/4 acre lot, so I am very grateful for the convenience of using a riding mower. It makes the job much easier and quicker!
that Southwest fixed my stolen points issue
The other day, I got an email confirming a flight (booked with points!) that I had most definitely not booked.
It was an expensive flight too; it used up over half the points I have in my account.
I got on the phone with Southwest right away, and after some shuffling around, they got me to someone who could fix the problem for me. Apparently, this is a somewhat rare occurrence (the point-stealing) so it took a bit for them to figure out how to rectify the problem.
I changed my Southwest password, of course, and they put some extra blocks on my account that would make it harder for someone to get in.
(I use the Chase Rapid Rewards Southwest card; if you sign up through my referral link, you can get a 50,000-point introductory offer. There is an annual fee, but the point bonus and free flights outweigh the fee, particularly the first year.)
that Zoe’s all set for college this fall
I helped her get registered for the math placement test, which she passed with flying colors (she tested all the way into pre-calc, which is very impressive, given that math is not her favorite or easiest subject!)
many years ago in Zoe’s math career 🙂
So, now she’s registered for a college math class, plus several other classes, and NOW I really feel like my homeschooling journey is done.
Yay for Zoe! and for me! We have both graduated in a sense. 🙂
for ease of hauling things in my van
I love having a minivan! It was great for hauling many children around before, but since I can just keep the back seats down all the time now, it’s awesome for picking up free/cheap stuff.
Such as…my wheelbarrow.
Or the fan I just bought for Zoe.
I am such a fan of minivans! They’re just so practical, and I hope I can hang onto mine for a long time.
Corrine
Friday 28th of July 2023
The mushrooms in pictures 5 and 6 are reishi, which is a very popular natural remedy in Eastern medicine.
StephanieLD
Friday 28th of July 2023
It's always so sweet to read everyone's gratitude posts! I love the variety and occasional quirkiness, and it always puts me in a mindset of thankfulness just to read them!
This week, I am thankful for: My wonderful church friends. I was feeling dizzy Sunday morning, and when I stood up after Sunday School, I got more so and very nauseated. Friends insisted I sit on a sofa in the lobby, brought me water, and as I got worse, really urged me not to drive myself home, but go to the ER (which is just across the road, actually.) They also persuaded me to go by ambulance, which is exactly what I (retired nurse) would have recommended, but being the stubborn, independent, and apparently fuzzy-thinking person I am, I didn't even consider.
Also thankful that it turned out to be Benign Position Vertigo, which is a fancy way of saying it's due to inner ear and won't kill you. As I have a strong family history of heart attacks and heart disease, it really was prudent to be monitored. Some IV fluids, Zofran IV and Meclizine, and I was able to go home after a few hours.
For the EMS team, who were so very competent and reassuring, and the ER staff, who were also efficient and caring. It's very humbling to be on the other side of the stethoscope.
For the entire episode, as a precautionary EKG done in the ER showed a Right Bundle Branch Block that was not there in Oct. 2021, and could have gone undiagnosed until I began to have symptoms or worse.
For God, whom I know orchestrated this, right down to a church member on the way home from buying groceries and being 2 minutes away when I was discharged, who swung by and drove me to my car. Going through this experience has actually answered several questions I had prayed about.
Kristen
Friday 28th of July 2023
I'm so glad it's nothing serious. Whew!!
Mar
Thursday 27th of July 2023
Thankful for: Storms that go north or south of us. We are closer to closing on dad's house. The neighbors at his house are keeping an eye on it for us. My work gave me a gift card for my 39th anniversary there. For smart cars, my car told me ahead of time my tire was losing pressure so I was able to get off the expressway into a parking lot to get my tire changed and not have to change it on the side of the expressway, very thankful.
Kris
Thursday 27th of July 2023
Thankful for wonderful coworkers and my boss, who make my workday pleasant and who laugh at my jokes.
For the opportunity to spend the day with my sisters yesterday. It's rare that the 3 of us can hang out together and I'm glad that it worked out.
For my daughter's new job. Her original summer job hasn't been giving her many hours and for reasons best left unsaid, has been a source of frustration. The new job is at an animal shelter where she's been volunteering for the past year. The director offered her a position. It's wonderful that her hard work and consistency has been appreciated.
That VBS was a positive experience for both kids and volunteers.
For the unexpected gift of my brother and his wife and family ending up next to us at the beach on Monday. That was purely serendipity.
Cathi
Thursday 27th of July 2023
We bought a used 2001 Chevy Venture van in 2003. We hauled our sons (now 30 and 25), and all their friends, to school and all their activities throughout their school years, pulled our pop-up camper and traveled all over the US with it. It moved them back and forth during their college years, and into their first places after college. The sliding doors no longer work. The windows are pretty slow going up and down, and the back windows don't work at all. The AC hasn't worked in years. It has some pretty good rust spots. The back seats are sitting in our garage. But it can haul a lot of stuff, and is cheap to insure. It's way cheaper than buying a truck. And when the boys need to haul something, their first phone call is to see if they can borrow the van. I will be sad when we have to let it go.