1/3 of the Way Through "30 Days of Gratitude Challenge"

I was given the idea to do this challenge in the gray days of January by a fellow blogger in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I put the challenge out on Facebook for friends. Some friends picked up on the idea. We have posted each day a simple gratitude reflection instead of  moaning and groaning about the snow, cold, clouds, and life in general because it's winter and that's what people in the Midwest do. From some of the postings I am sure others stopped in their tracks and reflected personally. So here goes...my first ten days.

Day 1: In spite of the temperature, 10 degrees, Eddy and I took our usual 40 min walk. It is a good thing I HAVE him and HAVE to take him on daily doggie walks. Without him, I would have looked at that temp. and told myself it is too cold to be outside. Well it isn't. That cold moist air on a daily basic, has kept me healthy. So thank you Eddy!

Day 2: As I continue to settle into WI, I am grateful for all the people God has placed in my life: both family & friends. Thankfully, we can continue our relationships from afar via technology. I am also grateful for so quickly being asked to join a small group within my church last year, where we study various topics & share what's going on in our life. This group satisfies the need of belonging and being cared about.
Day 3: Yesterday Jon and I toured the WBAY RV & Camping Show in Green Bay. We weren't shopping, it's just fun to look. That activity then provides a natural  segue into what I am grateful for: I spent many vacations traveling the country camping with my Tonn family. Those were wonderful adventures that have left me with great memories.

DAY 4: To my friend Patty, simply , I am grateful the Packers won!! I have been holding off with this, hoping I could say that:-)
Day 5:  As I head out today on my "40 min. morning walk" with Fast Eddy, I am grateful that the deep cold has moved East and it is 18 degrees. It is much more enjoyable to be outside!!

Day 6: Phone calls from both of my sons today. Good chats.

Day 7:  We were able to sell the extra electric stove today, that has been in the garage waiting for a new home! Yeah!

Day 8:  Jon shoveled our sidewalk on his way to work this a.m....'atta' boy!!! :-)

Day 9: What a great  surprise, a date for dinner tonight with my husband. We tried the Wild Truffle Trattoria in Grand Chute. We had one of their wood fired pizzas for two and interesting salads, the kind you wish you would have taken a picture of. We will have to make a return trip sometime with company. :-}

Day 10: For anyone who knows me, I am sure they will be laughing hysterically, this is so NOT me: I am grateful I took an hour and alphabetically aligned my spices for ease of use. I have pantry doors where they are stored and it seems every time I need something I look at every bottle to find the right one .... VERY inefficient. So today, I organized all those blasted little things!!

Hey, it's the small things in life that plant a smile on my face and keep me going. I am just figuring that, in 20 more days of looking on the brighter side, February will almost be over. Yeah!

Related articles

• The 30 Day Gratitude Challenge (greymatterlife.com)
• Gratitude is The Eight of The Ten Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts, Homes and Nations (socyberty.com)
• Teaching Kids the Importance of Gratitude (everydayhealth.com)
• Join me in this month's Gratitude-a-thon! (powerofslow.wordpress.com)

GUEST BLOG: WOOF!

Fast Eddy here. I decided that I would take my turn at the keys and pound out a few words to you all. So here goes.
A few of you have asked how my rear leg knee surgery is doing from last April. Well, I am glad to report I am back to my old self again. I can run through the deep snow like a pup. Steps are no longer a problem. I can leap about with ease. My doc said I should be good for life, now.

I travel a lot in the “Woofer Mobile” as my friend Ginny calls it. I get the entire back seat so I can see where we are going and easily stick my nose out the window. We make lots of trips between Wisconsin and Michigan. The last time I was back in Michigan was the week before the last Badger run across Lake Michigan. Jane knows I hate the 10 hour truck drives home. I get anxious and worn out from panting the entire trip. So when she goes home in the winter, she parks me at doggy camp, so I can hang with my peeps. It’s kind of fun to be with a lot of other furry friends. Although I don’t appreciate the yippy guys who bark all night. But the kids that work there, really like me and get a good chuckle when I have my lamby in my mouth. I am always glad to go there, but happier to leave and get home for some quality peace and quiet.

I also dig doing my daily doggie patrol around the ‘hood. I stamp many of the trees, fire hydrants, and snow banks with my own personal brand of yellow, to let others know I have been there. That’s important.

I must say, I have not appreciated the deep cold weather we have had lately, because if it is too cold Jane does not want to go for very long walks. Plus big paws get cold, too. In the winter we carefully avoid the heavy salt at the intersections. I don’t have the luxury of wearing boots, like Jane.

 I find that I love the taste of winter. Winter is like a giant snow cone, minus the cone.  You know a dog gets thirsty doing a lot of sniffing, so it’s convenient to grab up a chunk of snow as we shuffle down the sidewalk.

Occasionally we are accosted by other four-legged neighbors. I am kind of the bad dude and bark, pull on my leash, and carry on, letting them know not to mess with me. Jane is embarrassed by my behavior, but I tell her to get over it. It IS what it IS! I am Eddy of the Block.
Today we met our bud, Ray, doing his tour around the block with his rolling walker. He likes me and always gives me pets. But he and Jane start talking which can lead to an easy 5 minute chat. I get bored and lay down.

I enjoy patrolling our back yard. There are varmint tracks all over: under the bird feeder and all around the deck. I am figuring it is rabbits, which are probably spending their winter in cozy nests under there. If I could only get off my leash and crawl under there I would have me a rabbit dinner. Oh well.

A couple of my favorite winter activities are playing king of the mountain on the snow banks and digging holes into the top. After vigorously flinging  snow onto the sidewalk and road, I then nestle in the hole. I like to peruse the block from my lookout and checking for invaders or big brown trucks.

By the way, I am finally getting over my humans leaving me alone at home. We play a game. They hide a few treats around the upstairs. They think that I spend the time they are gone looking for them, and forget to miss them. Actually it only takes me a few minutes to find them. I have them buffaloed.

I will let you in on a little secret. Jane didn’t REALLY retire to marry Jon. She retired because I was lonesome at home. It got down to choosing between work or me, and I am delighted to say she chose me. But speaking of Jon, I like him and he likes me too. He thinks he is the Dog Whisper. I must admit he IS very kind, but firm when working with me. AND he gives me his pizza crust. It can’t get much better than that!

Yawn….this has been fun and I feel a nap over taking me. WOOF!

MY SECRET WINTER GARDEN

I remember that my Grandma Orr saved her geraniums each winter in her unheated upstairs. She kept them in their pots near a window. It kept them alive and in a state of suspension. I, too, do the same, only in my basement
.
Plants are like a pet to me. The same love and caring pours out for them as for my dog, Eddy. I just cannot bear to dump out my planters in the fall and let my plants die in the frost. This does not work for all annuals, I do dump the petunias and marigolds, because they usually don’t make it to Spring inside. But the geraniums, I save for several years, as long as they look good.

In my Benzie County farm house, I turned the enclosed front porch into a greenhouse every winter. It would be a solid mass of planters. I would bring in 2 by 6’s  and lay across the patio furniture arms to make table tops. I set up card tables and would leave just enough room to sidle through to do maintenance on the plants through the winter. My family thought I was nuts. But for me it was therapeutic.

Now here in Wisconsin, I do not have the luxury of having a big enclosed front porch. I remember, a year ago, I began desperately thinking how was I going to save my plants in this new house. I had an “aha, moment” and thought,the basement would be perfect. That year, I hastily set up folding 2’ x 4’ tables under the fluorescent light next to my husband’s workbench. That worked fine as a temporary solution. This year I set up an area in the back corner of the laundry room behind the furnace. It is nice and cool there and the light is again provided by a long fluorescent fixture.

So on bitter cold days, like today when the wind chill is -35, and it is too cold to be outside without every inch of your body being covered, it is fun to meander downstairs to my secret garden tucked away behind the furnace. Yes I greet the plants verbally, then tenderly trim off dead foliage and spent bloom. Now that we are near the end of January, it is about time to lightly water them and slowly begin to bring them back from their 3 month rest.

Last night while I was down there I was surprised to find my two Amaryllis sending forth shoots,and one of them, a bud for a flower. I love surprises like that! Today I will bring them upstairs and place them in a sunny window.

This summer I found a tall narrow metal shelf at a neighbor’s rummage sale. I put that in my east kitchen window and have a few kitchen herbs growing there and enjoying the good  light.

I cannot imagine having a home without something growing in it. It brings that which I love to do, gardening, inside to continue year round.

Geraniums

pungent,  lobed leaves with varied color, long stems

Found in beds, planters, and pots

love mild or hot summers, partial or full sun

hummingbirds and the bees seek out their pollen

the featured ornamental or an accent

clusters of buds turn into symmetrical petals ranging from white to pink,to red, to fuchsia

small and stocky, vining or encouraged to 3 to 4 feet over years

common, hybrid, or scented

Geraniums

Recess vs. Education Minutes

Last week the news was full of whether American public school students are given enough “play time” or physical activity during the school day. Having taught 29 years, I saw recess time slowly disappear and behavior problems grow. Are they related? Could be! The entire debate has been grinding in my craw for several days.

Children today, do spend more time in front of video games, TV, and computers and less time using their imagination and spending time outside, in my opinion. As far as public education, two years ago when I left teaching, students had one 15 minute recess, which included time getting outdoor clothes on and off AND playing outside. The lunch period was 30 minutes which included eating time, getting clothes on and off, and playing. You ought to try that, students don’t spend much time eating so they can get out to play, plus it is just too much to shoved into 3o minutes.  Special classes, like music, gym and art daily replace unstructured play time. If you had a special in the afternoon or morning, then you didn’t get recess.

Now that winter has hit, I remember in the 60’s being able to run out to the community ice skating rink across the road from our school, lace up my skates, and skate, all within a generous 20 minute recess. When I came in, my blood was flowing, my mind was re-energized, and so was my readiness to sit down and get back to learning. The American system is now so caught up in not being equal or better than other countries, we are taking on their approach to ruthless time on task and considering adding minutes to the day. The high expectations continue to be dropped into lower and lower classes. Did you know that you learn to read in Kindergarten now and learn part of the multiplication facts in 2nd grade? Instruction, as I left it, was definitely teaching to the annual assessments given each Fall. You paced to the top students. The slower students hopefully would catch on as the curriculum spiraled. I believe as per the last federal mandates from the last administration that by 2014  ALL students, yes, 100% of the students are expected to satisfactorily succeed on the annual state assessments, yes special education, at risk, and of course the general population of learners. All I can say, that would be a major miracle or perhaps slight of hand by the examiners.

I told a friend the other day that students are learning much more than their parents learned at the same age, and that trend of higher expectations continues as each decade or new federal expectations comes on the scene. So to answer whether student expectations are being dummied down? In fact the bar continues to be raised. With the raising bar, the pressure and time on task increases. I personally found giving students time to burn off some energy gave better results in the classroom. But I too was under the gun to cover the expected material, so one gave in to the other. So come on America, let kids be kids and give them back a morning, noon, and afternoon recess and see what happens. Are we more concerned with the world economy and competition or quality of life?
OK, I am not stepping down from my orange crate. If you think I am in error, let’s hear your opinions.

FOREVER CHANGING

I remember when my children were little, I tried to make a deal with my husband that I would gladly be the “go to” parent for problems when the boys were little, but once they hit the teens, his calm and thoughtful wisdom would be required. I never thought that I could calmly sit on my emotions and discuss the enormity of what might come, once their world became larger. It was the same fear I had before becoming a parent. How would I know how to be raise a child? Then the fear became, How would I know how to raise a teenager?

15 years later, parenting roles have changed once again, I now face raising adult children. It never stops. We can never dust off our hands and say, “OK, you are done now, go on out there and live”. I guess I forgot how much parenting my folks did after I was 18.

My opinions have to be offered differently and delicately. My kids are young adults and are still trying to find their way. Their choices and decisions complicate their life at times, and mine too, by association and relation. In redefining myself, my role as a mom to adult children is to voice a response of hearing what they say (showing empathy).  Pose questions to them for self reflection. In discussion, try not to vocalize  judgments about their life. Communication channels should remain open when following this line of thought. As nice as this sounds, the down side is, it is not always easy to do and I continue to work on it. For me to be effective, it calls for surrounding myself with people of substance and a faith in God that buoys me no matter the storms, and to read good books that expand that personal wisdom that does not come “just because I am old”. This week has been a week of turning inward and sorting thoughts. In the process the following came out of it as a form of personal self expression.

Tracks once clear in the snow

have melted from sight

destination seemed

spot on and direct

but then the path

began to veer.

Once high on the bank,

then obscured, falling behind it,

rising once more

pushing on into the wind

defying its opposition.

Ah, calm, but for a moment

long enough to rest

then facing it again

knowing it’s not the last.

As I am writing this, I am reminded of a good book I decided to read this new year, to improve communication skills: Gary Chapman’s “5 Love Languages”.  There is also a another version of this book for communicating with your children. It came highly recommended in a women’s group I belong to.

REDEFINING and REFINING life. That’s what it is all about. I am still growing in knowledge, preparing for the challenges that life brings. So I guess it could be said…. that I am “not done yet”, either. There is still work to be done.

THE BIG 6-0!

My mom and I were talking on the phone about 3 weeks ago and she mentioned that I was turning 60, I almost dropped the phone in shock. Oh my gosh and YIKES, I was!  Where had the time gone? I was suddenly NOT looking forward to this next birthday.

In retrospect, I can remember getting excited about reaching double digits, the teen years and then at 16,  being able to drive. At 18, I was a senior in high school and ready to make the break from home. When I was able to step foot in a bar and have that first drink, in public, I was 21 and graduated from college that same year. 30, was the beginning of the proverbial ticking clock, I married, and shortly thereafter began raising our family. 40, was no big deal, just mid life and busy working , although I threw a big party for my husband when he reached that point. 50, came and went, and I was entrenched in children in their mid teens and all of the drama that goes with that. Reaching 59, suddenly I was aware I was at the next turning point, the beginning of aging. I kicked that year off with dental redos and a physical that said I needed to lose weight, get more exercise, and become a vitamin-holic. It was the year that I spent a lot of time reminising, just  in case, upon turning 60, I lost my mind.

Well, I am officially 60 and 8 days. I would have liked it to pass quietly. But it seemed family and friends wanted to remind me of the fact in "60" cards, goofy center pieces, and" join the crowd" comments. My kids gasped at the fact, like I already had one foot in the grave. At least they further commented, that I didn't LOOK it, that they thought I was 40 or something. They were being kind.

Do I feel any different?  In mind, I hope I am getting wiser. But my body reminds me that it is slowly aging with lower back aches when sitting or laying just right, thinking a 25 pound bag of bird feed is heavy,  finding it harder and harder to open jars, and getting a little clumsier, tripping over my own feet.

I find it takes longer to do things I used to do, perhaps because of  the luxury of distractions, or just not having to do several things at once anymore.

So bring it on 60, I know that if I want to live another 20 plus years, I have to change things up, a bit. And so this next decade I begin the "age old" work of fine tuning myself so that it goes smoothly.