I am piggybacking on a weekly blog post that the wonderful Kristen of The Frugal Girl has been running since the pandemic began to turn our lives upside down - a weekly post of gratitude. The timing works nicely as well, because Thursday is just about when I begin to run out of steam from the new realities of life, before being uplifted once again over the weekend by the friends and family we generally are able to see and enjoy, even if from a six to eight foot distance.
So I am going to work to make this a weekly occurrence, and I hope you will comment and add to the feel-good party here.
Five Things I Am Thankful For This Week
1) The beach at low tide. Walking along the sand is so much nicer than staying on the close-by beach path for a variety of reasons - easier physical distancing, cooler temps (yes, even a few feet can make a big difference on warm days), and the chance to be up close and personal with our marine life. Yesterday I walked seven miles, and it successfully blew away the pretty bad case of the COVID-blahs I had when I arrived.
2) A loving and patient husband. That case of the COVID-blahs above? Yeah, unfortunately he bore the brunt of them until I got myself over to the ocean for a walk. The stress of COVID is real, and every so often it piles up on me, generally after a night or two of lousy, post-menopause sleep. Consistently he manages to not take my crabbiness personally, and just keeps on loving me. I am more thankful to him for this than I can properly express.
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| There are days when I definitely don't deserve this guy. |
3) The local winery we just joined. It's only a couple of miles away, it's in the adorable historic walking section of San Juan Capistrano, the help staff is super friendly, the seating is outside, the tables are set far apart, the food is delicious, and the wine is free. What's not to love?
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| Their roasted Brussels sprouts, which I could happily eat every. single. day. |
Plus, every Tuesday the winery offers half price food for members, so we plan to make it our regular Tuesday end of day activity. Having something to look forward to on a weekly basis is appreciated now more than ever.
4) Sun tea. Such a simple thing, but so lovely to make, chill, and then drink. Today I'll be making a batch of herbal sun tea, so that we can drink it during our soon-to-be-here warmer summer evenings.
Here's the basic recipe I follow: Summer Sun Tea
And, finally,
5) My neighbors' lemon trees. Several people on the street grow fresh lemons, and I've been gifted with several bags full, which I've been freezing in ice cube trays for usage in recipes, in one tablespoon increments. However, with my granddaughters expected arrival this weekend, I newly began freezing the juice in one cup increments so that I can make and keep homemade lemonade on hand for them, which they both love.
It makes me so happy to think about serving them something that is the essence of homemade.
Your turn! What five things are you most thankful for today?
Sun tea. Haven't thought of that for years. Glad to have a recipe. And one year for my birthday I asked for Brussels sprouts rather than cake. Pretty sure I could eat them every day, too.
ReplyDeleteI just made a quart of hibiscus herbal iced tea, for about, um, 40 cents? It's a pretty reddish color, and tastes lovely. I cover my pitcher with plastic wrap secured by a large rubber band while it's outside brewing. because, critters. ☺
Delete5 things to be grateful for: 8 hrs of sleep with only one wakening; clothes hung on the line to dry; an end to the spring to-do list; the anticipation of seeing my granddaughters next week; endings & beginnings.
ReplyDeleteWhat is this eight hours of sleep you speak of? 😆
DeleteGranddaughters are the best, agree!
Beautiful walking place at ocean!
ReplyDeleteOveans, lakes, rivers . . . there is just something about being near water that is so soothing. ☺
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