Thursday Thankfulness

Sunrise, Wednesday morning, 6/24/2026. It was too foggy this morning to take a picture!

Is it really Thursday already? This week sure is flying by! And so is this month! Wow! Someone posted that today is exactly 6 months until Christmas! I am not sure I want to think about that just yet! Someone also told me a week or so ago that they already have Halloween stuff for sale at Cracker Barrel! Now that's just downright crazy! I tend to want to take each month and holiday as it comes. Let's just enjoy today to the fullest while it is here, and in due time we can enjoy whatever holiday, event, or "celebration" that comes up.

Right now we need to focus on the 4th of July and the 250 Years of Freedom events that are happening.  I wonder what you are all planning for the 4th?  Anything spectacular?   We really haven't made any particular plans yet. I need to talk to some family members and find out what they want to do. We may just be staying home and try to keep cool!  There will be fireworks in our town, so we will most likely go find a good vantage spot to watch them. Sometimes we see enough from right here in our own backyard.  In the past we have normally had a family gathering of some kind, and we make homemade ice cream. That's a family tradition...but I'll save more about that for when we get closer to the day, and also for when I find out if we are going to do that or not this year! So stay tuned. Regardless of whether or not we do anything, we are VERY thankful for our nation and our freedoms that we hold dear, and for all those who have served our country to help keep it free! That is definitely not something to take for granted.

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts on my previous posts.  I have been a bit behind in reading and am trying hard to catch up, but I feel like I'm on a treadmill that keeps getting faster and faster and I just can't keep up.  This infected tear duct has kind of bothered my reading ability, but the antibiotics are starting to kick in and I feel like there is improvement now and it doesn't hurt as much. So I am very thankful for that, and glad that I went to the eye doctor when I did. I am also thankful that we live in a small town and that getting in to see a doctor never seems to take a long time...both our primary care physician and our eye doctors are very good about working us in when we have something like this pop up, so that we don't have to go to an emergency room or wait forever to see someone. There are some advantages to small town living.

And just look at all these blueberries I picked off of our own bush!  And see how many are still there ripening! Wow! I have really been enjoying these blueberries on my nightly snack of yogurt and granola! What a treat and blessing to be able  to grow your own!!

Oh, and look at how the zinnias are blooming!!! What fun to see them pop open and be so bright and cheerful!

Our friend Debbi from "Debbi's Front Porch" calls these zinnias "Old Maids".  I'm not sure where that comes from, but I looked it up HERE, and it will give you more information.  Here's some excerpts from AI:

"Zinnias were popularly known as "Old Maids" from the 1920s through the 1950s. The nickname is believed to have originated because the flowers bloom continuously all summer, lasting an exceptionally long time in both the garden and the vase. [1, 2, 3]

Why Were They Called Old Maids?

• Lasting Beauty: Their incredible longevity and resilience were affectionately associated with the image of unmarried women who stayed youthful and vibrant. [1]
• Classic Garden Staple: They were commonly planted by older women and widows in the South who cherished their bright colors and easy maintenance. [1, 2]"

Whatever the reason, they are delightful to see blooming in my garden, and apparently I am not the only one who loves them...

What is that large black object in the middle of my garden...again!!!????

Well look who's here!! None other than our rascal Blackie!

"Hi Mom! Were you looking for me???  Here I am, just taking time to smell the flowers!"

"Sorry, Mom, if I smashed your flowers down again...but they will spring back up, I promise!!"

Back inside, if I want to know where Blackie is, he can usually be found hugging his scratch pad, which is infused with catnip. Not only does he scratch it like a wild cat, but he lays himself down on top of it and guards it so that no one else can get to it. I wouldn't dare try to remove him or that scratch pad right now. He is quite enamored with it. LOL.

However yesterday he was very quiet for a long time and I didn't know where he was, until I went into the kitchen and found him here:

Somehow he managed to pull the seat cushion off of my rocking chair, and laid down on it on the floor and went to sleep. I think what happened was when he tried to jump up on the chair, the cushion must've slipped off and landed on the floor, so he decided to just stay there.  

Life is never dull with Blackie around. He does keep us on our toes. (Mostly just trying to find out where he's hiding next!) Did I mention that we are thankful for him? Did you guess that already? LOL.

Today we dropped by the church to see how the quilting ladies were coming along with getting things ready for their yard sale tomorrow. They were busily hanging up all the clothes that we brought them from my friend Maura's house, and it was nice to see just how much there was! The sale was supposed to be Friday and Saturday, but since our friend Opal passed away, her Memorial Service will be held Saturday morning at the church, so the quilting ladies cancelled the sale for Saturday so they can all participate in the Memorial Service.  

I am thankful for the dedicated people we have at our church, who are ready to serve in so many different ways, and especially when things happen unexpectedly and plans have to be changed. Many of our ladies will be helping with the food for the reception that follows the service.  I will be making a dessert to take. Still haven't decided exactly what, but most likely a cake of some kind.

9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Galatians 6:9-10

Well friends, that about wraps it up for today. I am thankful for each of you, and your friendship means so much, even if we don't ever get to meet in person...this connection here is so precious.  Thank you.