Last week’s post for the Ten Things of Thankful blog-hop was spontaneous. I saw the blog-hop link on Bloppy Blogger Facebook Page and decided to join in. So whatever came into my head as I wrote it went into the post.
This week’s, by contrast, has been bubbling away in my mind on and off all week. For instance, a few days ago I was thinking about my younger daughter’s birthday that will be coming up in the next few weeks. Since she was born very prematurely, her birthday generally brings up a mixture of memories for me, and with those memories come emotions. Gratitude and awe that she is healthy and happy are definitely recurring emotions for me. But oddly enough, this past week thinking about her birthday brought a memory of an old nursery rhyme: “Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday child is full of woe…”
And, as a Wednesday’s child myself I felt so thankful that this old rhyme is no longer chanted endlessly as it seemed to be in my childhood and that Wednesday’s children of today don’t feel under pressure to break the stereotype.
Meanwhile, thoughts on thankfulness kept coming to me. This morning I woke up to grey skies and 13 degrees centigrade, and thought: “I can start the post with thankfulness for the cool weather because now I don’t mind being inside and working at the computer.” Except, before I got round to writing it, the thermometer crept up, and the sun came out.
So now my number one is:
1) I am thankful for the sunshine, and for warmth.
And the rest are:
2) I am thankful that we live in a house with a garden, which makes it so easy to pop in and out of that glorious sunshine and so to enjoy it and get blog posts written!
3) I am thankful for poly-tunnels. This might not mean much to anyone who lives further south than 50° latitude, but in the UK fruit and vegetables are often grown in polythene tunnels to protect them from wind and rain. This means that the strawberry season has now extended from a few weeks to a few months – and my kids and I love strawberries. (My husband not so much.) So thank you, whoever invented poly-tunnels. I grew up on a tiny island in the far north of the UK, where the growing season is very short and fresh vegetables were limited in variety and in supply. Now, thanks to poly-tunnels, the residents have more variety.
If you also love strawberries, here’s my recipe for molasses scones, served with strawberries.
4) Another thing I like about poly-tunnels is that they reduce the need for pesticides by 50%. I am thankful for that reduction in pesticides. I mostly buy organic foods, but it’s good to know that even conventional berries have fewer chemicals these days. Around 85% of strawberries grown in the UK and sold in supermarkets are grown in poly-tunnels. Apparently, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for them though, and believe that they are destroying the appearance of our countryside. To me, they look beautiful, because I look at them and remember the benefits they bring.
5) I am thankful for small local stores where the sales staff know the origins of the fruit and vegetables they sell, and where much of their produce is grown locally. We have one of those just a short walk away. It’s heartening to see that these small stores are surviving and thriving even in times of economic downturn. My guess is their success is due to their ethical and friendly attitude.
6) For similar reasons to number 5, I am thankful for farmers’ markets and the way they have spread across the UK and the USA. At least, from our recent visit, it’s clear they’ve spread across the north-eastern corner of the US. When we were there nine years ago, we didn’t see one. This time we saw several.
7) I’m thankful that my older daughter is cooking while I write this blog post. It used to be a rare occurrence, but lately she’s enjoying cooking again. I’m particularly thankful about this right now because there’s been one interruption after another today, including one of our cats puking on the carpet so I had the joy of cleaning it. I was not feeling thankful at that moment, and still can’t say I appreciate it. No, actually, I can think of one thing I felt thankful about:
8) I’m thankful it was only a tiny amount the cat puked up. It could have been much, much worse.
9) And sort of, in a way, I’m thankful that yesterday our other cat peed over our Turkish carpet (bought in Turkey 20 years ago, not in Ikea.) Instead of blogging yesterday afternoon I got out the Vax and gave the carpet a long overdue steam clean. It looks better than it has in a long, long time. So I’m pleased about that.
10) And now, since it’s about five hours since I started this post, what with interruptions due to cats and to daughters asking me to join them watching Disney movies that even they have probably outgrown, I am thankful to have got it finished before the deadline.
Oh, and I have a bonus, related to number 8. I am thankful that my husband is usually the one who cleans up cat puke. What more could I ask for in a husband?
Finally, I have been wondering if doing this blog-hop makes me more thankful than I ordinarily would be. It’s difficult to say after one week, but certainly, I’ve been very aware of gratitude. I have read many times that focusing on what makes you feel grateful makes you feel it even more, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.
And now I’m thankful that dinner is ready. Seems I just can’t stop…
15 Comments on “Gratitude for everyday things”
So glad to have you back, Yvonne.
13C? Today? That’s atrocious! I know it’s been cooler but we’ve still enjoyed mid 20’s down here. You have my sympathies!
The strawberries sound lovely, and your comments about poly-tunnels are very sensible – not a thing I’ve ever thought of before, so I’m glad you brought it up.
Glad you got your carpet cleaned – it’s nice to achieve something long overdue, and that your daughter’s cooking you dinner – what a treat.
I’m also glad you’re rolling in late because you SPENT TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN! I would think less of you if you (like me) had forgotten about them and blogged in lieu of spending time with them (or, in my case, collecting Niece and Neff from school).
I’m glad the whole ‘attitude change’ thing is making you think…that pleases me hugely because it means this here hop is onto A Good Thing 🙂
Lizzie, fortunately it warmed up! I did read your post about your niece and nephew (can’t remember if I left a comment.) At least they aren’t your kids, my mother-in-law once forgot to collect my husband and his brother when they were little. They still tease her about it yet!
As for the attitude thing: as you can probably tell if you’ve hopped around this blog, I do a lot of considering (much like yourself!) So attitude change is kinda a constant thing for me, and yet it is interesting to notice that I’m more aware of gratitude. What I’m less clear about is whether I feel it more. But definitely this BlogHop is a good thing! I’ll be back!
…though having always had dogs rather than cats, I can identify with the puking items.*
We have always had an ‘only dog’, a small pack of three, Phyllis and the dog and myself.
And while it is a part of a dog’s life to throw up once (or more) in the course of life, we would always react as would anyone with a sick family member.
In fact, our dogs would initially react with that special kind of shame/embarrassment that they are capable of feeling, when ‘having an accident’ and we would be all re-assuring, letting her know that we are not upset or angry.
You could see the response in their eyes.
I am glad you have joined us again!
*lol
Clark, we had a dog and cat when I was growing up and I don’t remember either of them puking as often as our cats do. It seems to be a common thing now too, since almost all the neighbourhood cats are on “Sensitive stomach” foods, including ours.
It’s interesting to read how your dogs react when they’ve been sick, and that they can then be reassured. Our cat wasn’t ill, and usually isn’t if he’s sick. I think he just ate too much mouse too fast or something. (Or else too much of someone else’s cat food – no doubt the one neighbourhood cat who isn’t on ‘sensitive stomach food.)
Thanks for your comment.
I really like how you changed the rug incident into a good thing and that it looks nicer than it has in a long time. I also love strawberries and have never heard of polytubes (how totally cool and great that they reduce the need for chemicals by so much – that’s pretty big).
Kristi, I also think the reduction in chemicals is pretty big! Thanks for popping by!
I love this list, and I love that you found things to be thankful for in unpleasant situations. Thanks for linking up!
Kristi, I was confused at first, but soon realised you were a different Kristi! I think perhaps it’s when I can feel thanks for these unpleasant situations that I feel most thankful of all. Thanks for your comment.
Farmer’s markets have certainly become more popular all across the US. Of course, in the rural area I’m in, a lot of farmers simply set up little stands at the end of their property and sell what they have. I most certainly enjoy getting whatever we don’t grow from them as much as possible.
It made me smile that you turned cat puke into a positive. I had vomit on my list today, too, except the puke was from a child.
I’m very glad you persevered through the many distractions and finished the post. You put a great list together. I’m hoping that over time you see the positive results from the positive thinking.
Christine I am pleased to read that farmers’ markets have spread all over the US. It’s such a good way to trade. Thanks for that info!
Is there a link to your scone recipe? I would love to have the recipe! I make a darn fine orange scone myself.
I have one cat who is a puker (always on the rug, never on the hardwood or tile floors) and one who is a pee-er (always on something not washable, like boots or a beanbag chair). Pet ownership is always a joy! I use a product called Nature’s Miracle to clean up kitty messes. And, apparently, I am the only one in our house capable of cleaning up cat barf. If I’m not there, they will put a paper towel over it so they don’t have to look at it, but otherwise, there it sits until I take care of it.
Dyanne, your orange scone recipe sounds intriguing. There is a link to my recipe, but when my website developer set up this blog she chose a colour for the link that was a bit close to the normal text colour so it didn’t show up well. I’ve now had her back in and she’s made it a much brighter colour so the link shows up now. (She’m my 15 year-old daughter, by the way!)
So you have a puker and a pee-r too! I can’t pretend I am as virtuous as you because my hubby definitely cleans up more than I do. In fact, I will confess to having used the paper towel technique on occasion. 🙁 But I do clean up sometimes!
Found the link – thanks! Tech support these days – sheesh! (My tech support person is leaving for college in 3 weeks. The back up one, 14, will still be around, thank goodness!)
I am going to make your scones later in the week!
One bonus from the barfer: he often “recycles” what he’s barfed up, making clean up a little easier….
Good evening (morning?), Yvonne!
Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier this week 🙂
As Christine said above, the Farmer Markets are becoming a lot more prominent in the States. I’ve yet to go to one simply because I’ve always been told you have to go at the ass crack of dawn. I may not sleep much, but that is usually when I am going to bed lol
Never heard of Poly-tunnels (do they have commitment issues?), but I would say the benefits sound like they greatly outweigh the unsightly scene they create. I LOVE strawberries and most fruit in general. Everyone seems to be mentioning fruits and veggies.
Likewise, many have mentioned their thankfulness for weather! Hopefully it cools down a bit more for you.
Perhaps you will continue with the TToT blog hop, and eventually you can determine how much it affects your gratefulness (or — more so — your awareness of it).
Also, that is the first time I’ve heard anyone being thankful for a pet peeing on their rug lol
Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink
Hi Jak, It’s good to see you here! I enjoyed your TToT post too!
You’ve been misinformed about farmer’s markets by the way – I went to 2 in the States in the afternoon! Mind you, one of them (in Boston) only had about 2 stalls. Hope you find one near you soon, and hope you manage to get some more sleep soon.
As for me feeling thankfulness for cat pee – perhaps I’m strange like that, but my lists generally contain things that might be construed as negative. The gratitude doesn’t generally come instantly, but when I realise that there was an advantage to me that I hadn’t seen at first. And then, often it feels even deeper than gratitude for the “usual” stuff.
See you on the hop this weekend!