Happy Place: Gratefulness And Smiles

[JustHereForFood]

As it's been a 33rd anniversary of my country having a revolution that resulted in transition from authoritarianism to democracy, I have been thinking about it a lot lately, especially considering all of the recent events.

No matter what has happened since then, and there is certainly a lot to be critical of, I will always be grateful that I was able to grow up in a free, democratic country and have all the rights that go with it, like access to information, ability to travel, vote and to have free speech.

I am grateful to everyone, not just in my country but worldwide, at every point in history, who has fought for these values, for freedom, democracy, for human rights and decency, often risking or giving their lives in the process so that future generations could live better lives. Also to many others who supported them, providing resources and moral support, which is also important if sometimes overlooked. And to many others who still sadly have to fight this fight today.

I am also grateful to everyone who upholds these values daily, whether by voting, or talking to people, calling people who would jeopardize them on their BS (if it's safe to do so of course), and those who raise their children with these values and how we must protect them and not take them for granted. Especially in these times when all around the world, they seem to be endangered.

And since I am a pessimist and often have a tendency to see things as hopeless, I am also grateful for people who can inspire others even in the dark times and make us believe that things can still turn up alright. I don't mean fake positivity, just the general idea that if we stick together, there is still some hope. Because we have to believe that truth and love can overcome lies and hatred.

[PRgal]

My little guy’s first JK (Junior Kindergarten) report card was released recently and he’s doing amazingly well!  He needs to work on some things, but who doesn’t?  I was a little freaked at his “averageness” at first, but we spoke with the teacher and she reassured me (and my husband) that he’s most definitely doing great! 

[isalicat]

I had breast cancer surgery yesterday and I am grateful to be home, feeling doozy and in some pain, but ALIVE! And super grateful to all the outstandingly professional and kind medical professionals at the hospital that took care of me all day. Please thank a nurse or doctor today! God is good! 😸

[RealHousewife]

2 hours ago, isalicat said:

I had breast cancer surgery yesterday and I am grateful to be home, feeling doozy and in some pain, but ALIVE! And super grateful to all the outstandingly professional and kind medical professionals at the hospital that took care of me all day. Please thank a nurse or doctor today! God is good! 😸

Yay! So happy you're doing well and wish you a speedy recovery. 

[PRgal]

We had a big family dinner where we saw my cousins and my aunt and uncle, people we haven’t seen in person since Christmas 2019!  It was great to see everyone after so long! 

[Blergh]

The other day, I attempted to get a refill on my asthma medicine at the pharmacy chain and got told that even with the Good Rx card, the clerk said price had jumped from about $130 to over $400!  Yes, I like breathing a great deal (and avoiding clinic and ER visits) but I wasn't going to pay more than double what I'd paid just last month for it without at least checking out my options.

Long-short is that I put in the medicine name into the Good Rx search engine and it DID show the roughly $130 price as before so I took the print out to my pharmacy chain branch and they quickly deduced that the earlier clerk had put in the price for the NAME BRAND instead of my usual generic option.

So, once again, I was able to pay the roughly $130. What a relief!

Still, I feel sorry for folks needing vital medicines who aren't able to find them at more reasonable prices!

[RealHousewife]

Grateful for the gorgeous weather today. It’s like a preview of spring, my favorite season

[Blergh]

OK, last week having made the painful decision that my old car was too expensive to keep getting repaired and it was time to sell it for whatever I could reap, I was unable to find the Car Title anywhere in the car or my abode.  Anyway, I got told that I'd have to get a duplicate of it at the downtown location of the County Clerk's office. I've done my best to avoid downtown driving for the last decade due to crazy construction, one-way streets,sketch& spotty parking,etc. so I was dreading this.

Although it was no fun to navigate the maze of the crazy grid, I made it there- and was pleasantly surprised that not only was there plentiful and FREE parking available next to the building in question but even more surprising was the fact that every single individual within from the security guard to Car Title receptionist was helpful and . ..friendly to me!  So, once I got there, it just took maybe ten minutes from the time I entered the building to the time I found the receptionist's desk, paid her the small fee and got the Duplicate in my hands! In any case, it was refreshing not to have to deal with overworked, surly or sarcastic bureaucrats!

[JustHereForFood]

When I go for a walk, it's usually in an inhabited but quieter area in the city, so I judge the quality of the walk by how many cats I meet. Yesterday, we went to a wooded area near the city instead, so instead of cats I saw a squirrel, feeding (stealing?) in a bird feeder. Squirrels are probably my second favorite animals after cats, so it was a great day.

[JTMacc99]

3 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I saw a squirrel, feeding (stealing?) in a bird feeder.

If you put out a platform feeder like that, it's squirrel friendly. So that little guy was definitely not stealing. 

My day was brightened the other day for something very much like this. I looked out at my birdfeeder and saw a big bird that I didn't immediately recognize. Brown, black "bib", a little red on the head, chomping away on the suet. 

Off to the bird identification stuff to figure out that it was a Northern Flicker visiting my feeder. 

[ECM1231]

Face timing with my 20- month old grandson.

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Face timing with my 20- month old grandson.

My own mother can remember how much of a treat it was to have long-distance calls with her own senior relatives growing up even though they could not see each other!  Have fun!

P.S. I wonder if your grandson and his peers will have holograph calls with their progeny in the decades ahead?

Edited February 9, 2023 by Blergh

[RealHousewife]

I am grateful for a lovely evening. 

[peacheslatour]

I'm grateful for this place and you all. Last weekend, after we had to put our 18 year old cat to sleep, everyone here was so kind and lovely to me. It really helped. ❤️

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm grateful for this place and you all. Last weekend, after we had to put our 18 year old cat to sleep, everyone here was so kind and lovely to me. It really helped. ❤️

Sending hugs on your loss. 

[RealHousewife]

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm grateful for this place and you all. Last weekend, after we had to put our 18 year old cat to sleep, everyone here was so kind and lovely to me. It really helped. ❤️

I'm so sorry peaches. *big hug* I am grateful for this place and you too. You are one of the sweetest people here. 

[Anela]

9 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm grateful for this place and you all. Last weekend, after we had to put our 18 year old cat to sleep, everyone here was so kind and lovely to me. It really helped. ❤️

Oh, I'm so sorry. :( ❤️

Edited February 12, 2023 by Anela

[ECM1231]

17 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

I'm so sorry peaches. *big hug* I am grateful for this place and you too. You are one of the sweetest people here. 

She really is.

I'm so sorry, @peacheslatourfor the loss of your cat. 

[peacheslatour]

Aww, you guys are too much. Thank you.

[PRgal]

My husband is FINALLY eating more healthfully (after his doctors told him that he needed to cut fizzy, sugary drinks if he didn't want to have prolonged issues in his 50s.  Husband is 43).  In just a few days, he's learned to like plain oats with cinnamon (rather than the sweetened instant stuff) and has stopped adding flavoured syrup to coffee. YAY!!!  I convinced him to see the doctor and it was a total reality check for him.   

NOTE:  He was allowed to cheat on Super Bowl Sunday (with pizza and wings. But the barbecue sauce we used was not as processed as most commercial products).

Edited February 14, 2023 by PRgal

[CrazyInAlabama]

3 minutes ago, PRgal said:

My husband is FINALLY eating more healthfully (after his doctors told him that he needed to cut fizzy, sugary drinks if he didn't want to have prolonged issues in his 50s.  Husband is 43).  In just a few days, he's learned to like plain oats with cinnamon (rather than the sweetened instant stuff) and has stopped adding flavoured syrup to coffee. YAY!!!  I convinced him to see the doctor and it was a total reality check for him.   

NOTE:  He was allowed to cheat on Super Bowl Sunday (with pizza and wings. But the barbecue sauce we used was not as processed as most commercial products).

The barbecue sauce was such a great idea.    I haven't found a commercial one that doesn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup in it.    I hate HFCS, it's sweeter than sugar, and really hits me wrong, and I know other people who say the same thing about it.   

Congratulations to him on making so many changes. 

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The barbecue sauce was such a great idea.    I haven't found a commercial one that doesn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup in it.    I hate HFCS, it's sweeter than sugar, and really hits me wrong, and I know other people who say the same thing about it.   

Congratulations to him on making so many changes. 

I bought a locally manufactured sauce that uses dates to sweeten their products.  I love their ketchup (don't love the bottle though)! 

[Scatterbrained]

A locally owned restaurant has been posting the FUNNIEST things on Facebook.  I’ve been really enjoying the posts that have usually had nothing at all to do with food.  DH uses my Facebook and likes various vendors, but I usually ignore them.

today, I learn that the poster’s private account stuff was getting posted to their business account.  They said it’s because of the latest updates.  they are fed up and plan to leave their private account and let a partner handle the business account from now on.

anyway, I enjoyed their glitched posts.  They were very funny!

Edited February 15, 2023 by Scatterbrained

[nokat]

On 2/8/2023 at 2:12 PM, JTMacc99 said:

If you put out a platform feeder like that, it's squirrel friendly. So that little guy was definitely not stealing. 

My day was brightened the other day for something very much like this. I looked out at my birdfeeder and saw a big bird that I didn't immediately recognize. Brown, black "bib", a little red on the head, chomping away on the suet. 

Off to the bird identification stuff to figure out that it was a Northern Flicker visiting my feeder. 

I've got  books about how to identify birds. A flicker you notice by the sound.  A good find.

[nokat]

The first of the wildflowers! My ceanothus is blooming. This brings me so much joy.

[PRgal]

My son's class hosted a Mother's Day tea for moms/grandmas/loved ones this morning.  It was so cute!  The kids actually served adults iced tea and cake (and they did it all without spilling!!!), sang a song as a group and read something they wrote out about their moms ("My mom's name is _____.  She is ____ years old (the ages were WILD...one kid said his mom was 87 (I'm guessing that's actually the year she was born)...My mom's favourite food is ____.....").  They also gave each of the moms handmade cards and gifts!  

[PRgal]

Went to my high school reunion today.  I can’t believe it’s been 25 years!!  My class had a decent showing (maybe 12 of us??  Total was 90, I think), but it’s 25 so it’s a big deal.  
 

here’s a then and now pic of me:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Csui7xeLAsA/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

[EtheltoTillie]

Great sailor suit!

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Great sailor suit!

That was our uniform!  It made our school distinct from others!  The girls still wear a version of that top now.  I think the middy has been part of the school’s uniform since the 1910s (before that, students wore regular clothes.  The school was founded in 1867)

[Kitty Redstone]

I'm grateful for nature. Hiking and gardening are twin passions, and being able to stand in the trees, look up at the sky and feel the wind on my skin will always feel amazing. Every single time that little breeze is like being touched by God. A few years ago I was very sick and am lucky to be here. Today's spectacular weather was a reminder that for all of the small annoyances and stress and worries, life is good.

[Annber03]

When my family was out today, I was struck by how gorgeously blue the sky was, and how comfortable the temperature was and everything - it was warm, but not oppressively so. It was just such a perfect day weather-wise.

Yeah. Nature is amazing, and we are so lucky to have all this great scenery to admire and appreciate and surround us. 

I'm glad you're doing so much better now :). 

[Bethany]

Our lilacs are blooming and the backyard looks, and smells!, wonderful.  The time of the lilac is such a short one and is the compensation to me for the approach of summer - my least favourite season.

[nokat]

11 minutes ago, Bethany said:

Our lilacs are blooming and the backyard looks, and smells!, wonderful.

I love lilacs! I miss them as the California lilacs are not as pretty with that wonderful scent.

[Bethany]

1 minute ago, nokat said:

I love lilacs!

We are very lucky because at some point in time or another the people who owned our house and the neighbours around us must have decided to go with a lilac motif in their yards.  So as a result out back is a sea of lilacs extending along the backs of at least 6=8 houses.  Maybe this was coincidence but I don't think so.  No matter how it happened I am enjoying the result!

[EtheltoTillie]

Our lilacs are going now, but I'm getting my wisteria and peonies. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Kitty Redstone]

21 hours ago, Annber03 said:

When my family was out today, I was struck by how gorgeously blue the sky was, and how comfortable the temperature was and everything - it was warm, but not oppressively so. It was just such a perfect day weather-wise.

Yeah. Nature is amazing, and we are so lucky to have all this great scenery to admire and appreciate and surround us. 

I'm glad you're doing so much better now :). 

Thank you so much, @Annber03!

It was another gorgeous day here. We went on a hike and the native daisies were in full bloom. They're such happy, pretty little flowers.

There was some other kind of native in bloom that the butterflies (or moths?) were all over. So today I'm grateful for the pollinators!

[Blergh]

  I have to admit that yesterday, I attempted to go to some regional festival and wound up getting totally lost thanks to my Smartphone giving me rather dumb directions AND then by the time  I wound up at the turnoff for the festival, the line extended all the way to the highway with traffic at a dead gridlock all the way from the festival grounds to the highway itself. Yep, I turned around.

HOWEVER, while I was lost, I happened upon some rather  beautiful countryside including a long stretch of road entirely framed under an arc of trees in bloom which somewhat compensated for my otherwise frustrating experience. In fact, being a city dweller who barely gets a chance to look out the window into a courtyard while working, it was quite the treat and was worth the journey even if I didn't get to my intended destination!

[PRgal]

Kiddo wrapped up school today!  Actually, it was yesterday and today was closing ceremonies.  At his school, everyone "graduates" regardless of grade so the school marketed it as "graduation."  Every child got up on stage and said what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Last year, there were LOTS of kids (especially boys) who said they wanted to be firefighters, but this year saw more variety.  Several said teachers, doctors, vets or police officers, but there were a couple of "princesses" (mostly preschool) and construction workers as well.  My little guy said he wanted to be a "painter" (i.e. artist).  Only ONE other kid said that.  Last year, my son wanted to be a (race car) driver.  :D 

[Blergh]

Right after I had put my load of work uniforms into the washing machine, I noticed my clothes dryer wasn't working . ..at all. Long-short is that hopefully someone will come to fix it on Monday.

However, in the meantime, I needed a clean uniform for Monday and did the New Millennial bit of Googling nearby bundle laundry services. Luckily for me, there was one not too far from the residence and when I asked them if they could have them ready by either the end of the day or tomorrow. .. the proprietor told me that they usually DON'T do bundle service over weekends but since it was slow, they WOULD do mine! Believe me, I wasn't going to look the gift horse too much in the mouth and was VERY grateful.  Well, they managed to get it done (and even cleaned some 'set in' stains I thought had been hopeless) by noon and I was so relieved that I tipped them about 20 percent extra!

Point being, after dealing with so many folks who give litanies of excuses for why they can't/won't do the services they advertise, it was FANTASTIC to find someone who DID do this very necessary cleaning for me- and on the weekend before the 4th to boot!

[Blergh]

Update- the clothes dryer got fixed so I don't have to lug any more bags of laundry!  Hooray!

Yeah, it cost $300 but it beat having to pay over $1000 for a new dryer!

Edited July 4, 2023 by Blergh

[chitowngirl]

I haven’t been sleeping well and I slept on my shoulder wrong, and debated on whether or not to go to yoga today. Went because I knew I’d probably feel better. After class, the instructor gave me a hug and said how glad she was to have me in class and how I inspire her! 😊

[PRgal]

My son was supposed to be at camp this week but is still recovering from a cold.  I contacted the camp to see if he could be transferred to a different session since we can’t get our money back if we pulled out last minute.  They were completely okay with him going in a different session, so I’m not losing money.  Thank goodness 

[RealHousewife]

I'm grateful my skin cleared up. lol I know it sounds goofy, but it can really take a toll on my self-esteem and mental health. 

Also, the microneeding and PRP I've had done, I am looking fresher and younger these days as well. 

[BlueSkies]

I enjoy posting my daily thoughts here.

 

One came in handy this week.  My mom made tomato sauce.  After posting here things that made me go Uggh is wearing a white shirt when eating it….  I switched it up in time too a maroon shirt

[Blergh]

After having my connecting flights back to my home city cancelled no less than three times from Saturday to Tuesday and while being stranded in the Greater New York City and bouncing to all three major airports, I'm happy and grateful to FINALLY have gotten a flight home late last night and getting back to help with my 90-something Mama after having had that delayed. Oh, and I'm also grateful that I got to take my first trip overseas since the Affliction (but I still wore a mask at all times except for eating and inside my hotel room) and even more grateful to be able to share that earlier time with Mama!

[PRgal]

Spoke with my publisher today.  Book is moving along, and I just have to wait to hear back from the editor for my approval before moving to layout.  I hope it’s okay for me to post this since it may sound like shameless self-promoting. 

[chitowngirl]

53 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Spoke with my publisher today.  Book is moving along, and I just have to wait to hear back from the editor for my approval before moving to layout.  I hope it’s okay for me to post this since it may sound like shameless self-promoting. 

Congratulations! There’s nothing shameless about promoting such a wonderful accomplishment!! Huzzah!😊

Edited July 20, 2023 by chitowngirl

[JustHereForFood]

17 hours ago, PRgal said:

Spoke with my publisher today.  Book is moving along, and I just have to wait to hear back from the editor for my approval before moving to layout.  I hope it’s okay for me to post this since it may sound like shameless self-promoting. 

Congratulations! 

[BlueSkies]

I’m greatful I found this forum to get out some of my daily thoughts.  No one else at work I talk too 

[Gramto6]

Congratulations @PRgal!! That is great news!!

I am so grateful I found a TNR center willing to do all my yard tigers and for free! I was so worried I would have to turn some over to animal control where they would be euthanized. Now they can all live out their lives peacefully in my care. 💜

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Gramto6
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