I Love Lucy

I'm a little late, but Saturday's good thing is "I Love Lucy." Friday night I wasn't feeling very well -- I had thrown up again and other things weren't going well -- so I laid down on the couch and watched the Hallmark channel's "I Love Lucy" marathon until 1:30 a.m.

It was good to see Lucy again and she hasn't changed a bit. I felt like I could go back in time to the fifties, when I was a child and everything was taken care of for me ... when Lucy was under the protective (and slightly condescending) care of Ricky and always plotting with Ethel, but never really doing any harm.

Watching the show made me feel secure and pampered, as if I were home sick from school and getting a treat. So, long live "I Love Lucy," the first and quintessential sitcom.

I'm Wired!

Today's good thing is the Internet. I'm grateful for the Internet because it allows me to be connected with a lot of nice people that I might not be in touch with otherwise.

Even though I work in virtual isolation, I contact one of my co-workers daily and check in with her. When I post on Facebook, people respond. There's a forum where WLS participants post victories, ask questions, and generally encourage each other. This morning I chatted with a friend who lives 100 miles away whom I haven't seen in person in over a year -- but I still feel close to her.

While there is some truth to the argument that technology makes society more impersonal, for me the Internet is all about connections.

Work in Progress

I'm not sure what to say today. Nothing is springing to mind, although intellectually I know that I'm surrounded by blessings. Maybe something will come to me later. Stayed tuned for updates.

Okay. Having given it some thought, today's good things are bells. In particular, I'm thankful for the bell we use to start and end our meditation periods (I lifted it from a Buhhdist site, even though we are Christian meditators -- Shhhh!). It has a peculiar resonance that is so peaceful.

I'm also thankful for the bells on my windchimes. During the day they ring out at odd times and make me stop and take a breath. Something about a sound like that gets past all the noise of the day and creates a moment of peace.

Home Safe

This morning I'm grateful that Kate got home from Washington, DC safely. On Sunday night, she boarded a bus for Washington with about 40 of her classmates to attend the Right to Life march. They drove all night and arrived Monday morning for the march and then turned around and drove all Monday night, arriving home at 4:30 a.m. this morning. It was a grueling trip and Jeff and I were both nervous about the bus traveling on possibly icy roads late at night. Thank goodness, she's safe in her bed asleep right now!

I've Got the Music in Me

Today's good thing is music. I know that's a broad category, so I'll explain. A few years ago, Jeff and I and Ally and Kate volunteered to be in the St. Pius X choir. Little did we know that we practically volunteered to BE the choir. The 11:30 service that we attend doesn't have a full blown choir and usually there are just between 6 and 8 of us up there leading the singing. It was really special to me that our whole family did this together. Now that Ally's at college, it's just the three of us.

Yesterday, there were only five of us -- Kate, Jeff, and me and two others. Kate sang two solos and Jeff and I sang a duet on the "Lamb of God." One of our former priests used to say that "He who sings, prays twice," and sometimes it feels like that.

We did "Surely the Presence" for the meditation song and, afterward, I talked with Rita Kirkwood, who lost her husband of 59 years last week. She said that it was one of her favorite songs and that she felt a special blessing that we sang it.

It made me feel good to be able to contribute in a small way to the worship service.

More Power

Today's good thing is a MAPP torch. I use one to clean the bunny cages -- it burns off all the hair that gets caught on the wires. Today, however, it was useful to free the bunny cage that had been sitting outside of about an inch and a half of ice.

Last night it got down to zero, and I decided to bring the bunnies in from their outdoor hutches to their indoor cages in the garage. Unfortunately, when I cleaned their indoor cages, I left them outside. One of them was fine, but the other one's tray had filled with water, which was frozen into a solid block of ice. So, for the night, I gave Genevieve the ice-free cage and put Andy in a dog kennel with a lot of hay.

This morning, in the light, I examined the frozen cage and figured out the problem. The ice had completely encased the bottom wires of the cage. So -- out came my trusty torch. More POWER! I melted the ice off the cage enough to free up the tray and then was able to dump it and fix it up for Andy.

So now the two bunnies are relatively snug in the garage with a space heater on them. Even so, Genny's water bottle froze last night. I'm glad I got them in. It looks like they'll be garage rabbits for about a week or so.

On the knitting front, I finished the first of my Irish Moss socks from the fabulous Casbah yarn that Lynne gave me. It turned out large for some reason, but it feels good on and seems to fit my foot. I think I made the leg part a little too long -- I was enjoying the knitting so much I just didn't want to stop. The only problem may be that I won't have quite enough yarn to make the second sock. I've got some left over Casbah in another color though and, if worse comes to worse, I can always make the toe in that.

Road Crew

Today's good things are the people who plow the streets and melt the snow. God bless them. The weather is raw and the streets are dangerous, but they made it possible for Jeff to come home safely from Chattanooga last night.

Snow Day!

Today's a Snow Day -- so Kate and I both got to sleep in this morning. Jeff's in Chattanooga and supposed to drive home tonight -- good luck with that!

Today's good thing is a crackling fire. Last night, I put a fire in the fireplace to set the mood for our meditation group. We haven't had many fires this winter and I enjoyed it. It made everything cosy.

Sleep

This morning I'm thankful for a good night's sleep. I haven't been sleeping very well lately, and last night I did sleep well and woke up refreshed.

Later: Sitting here in the basement directly under the washing machine, I just thought of another good thing: washing machines. I love to hear the rhythmic swooshing as I work down here. It makes me feel industrious. I'm doing two things at once. And I don't have to go down to the creek and beat the clothes on a rock. Yay!

Two Good Things

Today I have two good things. The first one I planned as I was lying in bed this morning. The second happened when I went out.




The first one is turning the heel of a sock. Last night I turned the heel on the first of a pair of socks I'm making out of the luxurious Casbah yarn Lynne gave me for Christmas (another blessing). Turning the heel looks difficult -- and does require paying a bit of attention -- but it's easier than it looks and gives you such a feeling of accomplishment.




The second good thing happened when I had to go out to the bank early this morning. My neighbor was on duty at the drive through window and, although we're not close friends, it was so pleasant to see a familiar smiling face and chat about the neighborhood for a few minutes. It was a sense of recognition -- she knew me. Working, as I do, alone in the basement at the computer, it was nice to see a friendly face and it started my day on a cheerful note.

Roses in January

Today's good thing has to be supportive and loving husbands. I know they're few and far between, but I'm very fortunate to have one.

Jeff has been such a trooper through this whole illness thing. He's taken on a lot of my jobs -- like taking kids to the doctor and taking dogs to the vet and picking up groceries -- and still been there to encourage me and build me up.

On Friday, he brought home a dozen roses because he knew I was feeling low. Is he one in a million, or what?

Sweet Saturday

Today's good thing is sleeping late on Saturday mornings. I love to just lie in bed all snuggly and know that I don't have to get up or be anywhere. It's a good time to think and sort things out.

Things are looking up. Yesterday, I hired a new housekeeping service. After the debacle with the last one, which included a pickup truck full of stuff stolen from my garage, we've been cleaner-less for about 2 months. I certainly haven't been in any shape to do much cleaning, so the house has been in extreme disarray. Hopefully, the new service will be as efficient and reliable as it seems.

Today, I'm going to organize all my Mom's estate stuff in file folders. I need to get a good grip on what needs to be done before tax season kicks in.

Have a good weekend!

The Rollercoaster

I'm back down again this morning. I feel tired and depressed and my stomach is queasy. I choked down a protein shake and now I'm going to start on some yogurt.

A structural question for this blog has arisen. Should I record only good things that everyone experiences from time to time or include special blessings particular to me?

For example, last night I finally rousted myself out to attend a meeting of fellow spinners that I have been invited to join for at least 6 months. One of the members owns a coffee shop and she opened it up after hours for us. I was able to sit and spin some green corriedale that I traded on Ravelry to get. As with most gatherings of this type, conversation was open and general, but in the course of the evening I learned that two of the six people there were struggling with horrible painful Rheumatoid arthritis -- and had for years. Yet, there they were with their wheels, living their lives and enjoying an evening with their favorite hobby. From looking at them, you would never know that they had challenges in their lives.

On the one hand, I feel blessed that I haven't had to face a physical challenge like that. On the other, I feel petty that I almost didn't make the meeting because "I wasn't feeling up to it." And, truth be told, on the VERY petty side, I feel bad because I wanted to enjoy an evening out with fellow spinners and to laugh and tell stories -- not spend two hours discussing medical problems and pain.

So, I guess today's good thing is that no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse. Somehow, that's not very uplifting. Courage.

Day 2 of Thinking Positive

I'm feeling a little better today -- more perky. Meditating last night with Nancy probably was helpful. My stomach doesn't seem as touchy as it was yesterday.

Today's good thing is the way my dog follows me all over the house. Sam is a spaniel mix who apparently has abandonment issues. Whereever I am, he's there. He's a comfort and good company ... something solid and warm.

Up From the Dumps?

I've been down in the dumps recently. I've got my reasons. I had some surgery in early December that didn't go as well as I'd hoped and, as a result, I've been unable to hold down solid food for six weeks. I feel weak and somewhat depressed.

BUT, yesterday I heard a talk on Ted by a guy who was similarly depressed and started a blog of all the small good things in life. His blog is called 1000 Awesome Things, and it helped him feel better and ultimately led to a best-selling book and a Webbie award.

Not being a very original person, I thought I'd give it a try. Kate is always telling me to count my blessings. So, here goes.

This morning, on the way to take Kate to school in the snow, just as we reached a busy intersection with a four lane road, the traffic had a big gap -- so we slid right in with no delay. I love that.