This Week I Am Thankful for Everything… Almost

First of all, for those who have emailed me (maya@onlinegratitudejournal.com) asking if I am okay, the answer is “yes.”  I am fine and so is everyone else in the neighborhood.  And, for those who emailed to say they were hoping I was not stopping The Gratitude Journal, I am not stopping anything.  So, let’s get on with my gratitude.

The past two weeks have been more hectic than usual — if that is possible.  It just seems that July and early August are always stuffed with too much to do.  I do suppose I could rearrange some things, but to be honest once I get past the first full week in August and things begin to settle down I kind of forget that life was piled up just the month before.

To bring everyone up to date, we have had a little excitement.  Mrs. Hildebrand backed the Mini-Cooper into a tree in her yard.  I guess it would be safe to say that the “mini” is now a “micro” and from the back maybe a “nano.”  But, Mrs. Hildebrand and Miss Bessie survived the bump (her words, not mine) and lived to tell the tale of how the tree had never been that close to the drive.  Well, when you get into your late 80′s and get around as well as those two old birds, a little revisionist history serves its purpose.

What actually happened was that Mrs. Hildebrand was backing down the drive to turn around.  I have to say that her drive is wide enough next to the garage to turn an 18-wheeler, but according to Mrs. H she wasn’t not driving an 18-wheeler…. and the Mini “got out of control.”  We (the neighbors) have speculated that she was probably in reverse and her foot hit the accelerator and whooosh.  Well, thank goodness for the huge old tree.  It probably saved the house.  But, it did crush the entire back end of the little roadster. 

Again, the two old birds say they are fine, although neither has ventured off the front porch in the past few days.  One of the neighborhood doc’s dropped by to check them out and assessed that they could be a little sore and have some soft tissue injury, but nothing more.  So, I am thankful and have been for several days that Mrs. Hildebrand and Miss Bessie are still among us even if they are only holding the rocking chairs down on the front porch for now.

My sister-in-law was here for her birthday last weekend.  I may have mentioned it.  We didn’t have enough candles for the cake, but if we had the sufficient amount of candles we would have needed more cake.  As my mom would have said, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”  We ate the cake and I think Boo ate a few of the candles, but none of us got sick or went into sugar shock.  For that I am thankful.

On Monday morning — just when I thought everything was back to normal, or should have been — a cousin called and said he was passing through and would like to stop in to say “hello.”  Well, now I have to say that he had said “hello” on the phone, so it was obvious that he wanted more than that.  I straightened up as much as possible in the hour between the phone call and the arrival.  I guess he failed to say that his wife, his step-daughter, his step-granddaughter, his sister, and someone I still don’t know wanted to say “hello.” 

Thank goodness for those big SUVs.  I watched from the window as they rolled out of the vehicle.  Apparently, Happy was outside and was watching, too.  She rang up before they had a chance to ring the door bell asking if she should bake a few pans of cookies really quickly to bring over.  I had already made a pan of brownies, but I invited Happy over anyway.  Sometimes when there are enough strangers in the room the conversation stays on social amenities. 

Now, I guess you are thinking that I didn’t want to see “the family.”  Well, it isn’t so much that as I didn’t want to see them right then.  But, what are you going to do?  I was glad to see them, even the ones I didn’t know and it was a pleasant visit.  However, it sure threw off the rest of the day.  So, for that visit I am thankful, especially the part where it ended.

The rest of the week was filled with getting the neighborhood kids to wrap up the summer’s activities and to do some cleaning in the cabin before school begins.  All the papier mache classes are over.  So, there was lots to clean up.  Anyway, the kids held up their end of the bargain very well.  They closed out the classes and left the cabin cleaner than they found it.  For that I am more than thankful!

Peaches have hit the market, so some of us got together to start the freezing process.  That took two days, but the good thing about that is that we will have peaches until next year this time.  The corn was ready to be picked, so we spent two days “putting up” corn, some on the cob and some cut off.  We have enough corn to last the neighborhood at least until next July.  For all the food we have frozen and canned during the past week, I am most thankful — that it is finished (I hope) and that we have freezers full for the winter.

And, in the midst of all the mayhem I am still thankful for little Oliver.  He isn’t “my cat” yet, but he’s coming around.  I can now get within five feet of him without him darting off.  He has taken a liking to dry cat food, but still prefers scraps.

Oliver Sampling Dry Cat Food

I guess I scared little Ollie the other evening.  I was going out the back door and he was sitting right there, something he has never done.  I guess he was waiting for his dinner.  Anyway, I scared him and he scared me.  I yelled.  He darted.  I went back inside to get him a plate of dry food and apparently, according to my husband, Oliver seems to know where the cat food comes from.  As I went to the pantry to get the food bag, my husband reported that Oliver had his little paw cupped around the edge of the screen door trying to open it. 

Well, Oliver is coming around.  He still isn’t ready for the human touch, but he isn’t quite as flighty.  And, he is learning patience.  He sits on the top step most evenings if I am late scraping the dinner plates into his plate.   I am most thankful for Oliver.  He’s my little project for the year, I guess.  But, I can’t stand to see the little thing go hungry.  He’s still too thin, especially with winter coming soon enough, but I can no longer count his ribs when he walks.  For that I am thankful.

And, to my friend Niels, I am going to gather up my pictures of bib overalls this week.  I’m not going to promise because…. well, you know how life can be.  For everyone else, remember November 20th —- International Bib Overalls Day.

To Daniel, thank you so much for the opportunity to share my gratitude.  I will be most grateful for some time this coming week to do so. 

And, to everyone else, all is well that ends well.  Family and friends are fine.  This coming week is mine.  For that I am thankful…. more than you will every know.  But, for now… a nap.

Oliver's afternoon nap... a good idea!

Tagged as: Gratitude, Gratitude Journal, Online gratitude journal