This past Monday was 9/11, and at least two bloggers who participate in the Monday Music hop posted the song "The Sounds of Silence." That and a couple of other comments i've read got me thinking about sound and hearing, so i thought i would make that my focus for my thankful list this week.
First and foremost, i am grateful to be able to hear. Sweetie had to have another early trip to his ear doctor this week (he has a chronic condition and has to see his ENT every two months). He has mild tinnitus and this week had other trouble and he knew by how he wasn't hearing things that it was time to go. We are both grateful for our hearing, and try very hard to guard our ears from excessive loud noises.
Then there are the many sounds for which i am thankful.
Sounds of laughter from my children, and being able to listen to their jokes.
Kitten purrs, especially as they tear into the food you just gave them. Big cat purrs as you give them scritches.
The sound of the generator doing a test run, which tells me it is working well.
The hum of an A/C unit, the sound of comfortable temperatures.
Pages turning softly when reading make a lovely sound.
Mail truck, garbage truck, recycling truck, often noisy (well, the mail truck isn't that noisy, but i still hear it) and all letting me know how blessed i am to live where mail is delivered and my garbage/recycling picked up and taken away almost as if by magic.
Water from a faucet running into a cup, reminding me that i'm blessed to have clean water right here in my own home.
The chug-chug sound of a washing machine, so i don't have to go down to the creek with a bit of soap and beat the clothing on a rock.
That little bing noise that tells me Grandma has sent me a good morning or good evening text.
Forks, knives and spoons clinking as we eat, a reminder that we have food.
These seemingly mundane sounds have had my attention this week, and i am very thankful to hear them all.
If the mood strikes you, write up a list of things you are thankful to hear, or any other thankful list, and join us at Ten Things of Thankful. It will lift your spirits, i promise.
Today is:
Aloha Festivals Keiki Ho'olaule'a -- Oahu, Hawai'i, US (preserving Hawai'ian culture, with games, keiki activities, performances, and more)
America's Day For Kids -- sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Anne Bradstreet Day -- Massachusetts, US (by Proclamation of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to honor Anne Bradstreet, America’s first poet, who is also recognized as the first published woman poet in the English language)
Big Mac Shoreline Fall Scenic Bike Tour & Ride Across The Mackinac Bridge -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (a one-of-a-kind bike tour; through tomorrow)
Big Whopper Liar's Contest and Kunstfest -- New Harmony, IN, US (a German Festival, with traditional German foods, beer, and entertainment, plus the Big Whopper Liar's Contest, always a good time; through tomorrow)
Cherokee Strip Day -- Oklahoma, US (anniversary of the last land run, in 1893, which opened Native American land to white settlers)
Collect Rocks Day -- i guess it means besides all the ones in my head
Covered Bridge Festival -- Washington and Greene County, PA, US (arts, crafts, entertainment, and food at each of the 11 featured covered bridges; through tomorrow)
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 6, Children & Youth (sponsored by We, the World)
Festival for Ra, Osiris, and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Flax Scutching Festival -- Stahlstown, PA, US (through tomorrow; demonstrations of the tradition of making linen out of flax)
German-American Steuben Parade/Von Steuben Day -- New York City, and other smaller parades in US
Giostra Della Quintana -- Foligno, Italy (revival of a 17th-century jousting tournament, with 600 knights in full armor; La Rivincita, "The Rematch")
Heritage Weekend -- Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center, Ashville, NC, US
featuring the Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Championships today
Idaho Spud Day 2017 -- Idaho, US, wants the 3rd Saturday of September as a day to celebrate their favorite crop
Independence Day -- Malaysia(1963); Mexico(1910); Nicaragua; Papua New Guinea(1975)
International Coastal Cleanup -- join volunteers around the world in helping remove debris that harms marine life and ruins our oceans
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer -- UN (commemorates the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer)
International Eat An Apple Day -- a celebration of the fruit of the season, on the third Saturday of every September
Johnny Appleseed Festival -- Fort Wayne, IN, US (an 1800 style period festival; through tomorrow)
Levi Coffin Days -- Fountain City, IN, US (celebrating Levi Coffin, the "President of the Underground Railroad"; through tomorrow)
Martyrs' Day -- Libya
Mayflower Day -- the ship left England on this day in 1620
National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day
National Gymnastics Day -- US (sponsored by USA Gymnastics, and with its own web page here)
National Heroes' Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis
National Play-Doh Day -- unofficial; get some anyway and be a kid again for a little while
Oktoberfest -- Germany (through Oct. 3)
Owain Glyndwr Day -- Wales
Peddler's Village Scarecrow Festival -- Peddler's Village, Lahaska, PA, US (start celebrating the fall with scarecrow making, pumpkin-painting, and more; through tomorrow)
St. Cornelius' Day (Patron of cattle, domestic animals, earache sufferers, epileptics; Kornelimunster, Germany;against earache, epilepsy, fever, twitching)
St. Cyprian of Carthage's Day (Patron of Algeria, North Africa)
St. Euphemia's Day (Patron of Rovinj, Croatia)
St. Ludmilla's Day (Grandmother of St. "Good King" Winceslaus; Patron of converts, duchesses, widows; Bohemia; Czech Republic; against in-law problems)
Stay Away From Seattle Day -- yes, really
Stepfamily Day -- US and others who choose to recognize it (if you have stepfamily you love, celebrate it wherever you live; founded in 1977 by Christy Borgeld)
Summerset Festival -- Clement Park, Littleton, CO, US (a big, fun good-bye to summer)
Trail of Courage Living History Festival -- Rochester, IN, US (frontier life in Indiana when it was Native territory; through tomorrow)
Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride® -- Bridgeport, AL to Waterloo, AL ( ride along part of the original Trail of Tears to honor the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole nations)
Working Parents Day -- internet generated, enjoy if you are a working parent or have a working parent you want to thank
XTERRA Trail Run Nationals -- Ogden/Snowbasin, UT, US (finale of the series of extreme runs held across the country through the year, featuring 21k of extreme, off-road trail runs; through tomorrow)
Birthdays Today:
Nick Jonas, 1992
Sabrina Bryan, 1984
Alexis Bledel, 1982
Amy Poehler, 1971
Marc Anthony, 1968
Molly Shannon, 1964
Richard Marx, 1963
Jennifer Tilly, 1961
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV, 1958
David Copperfield, 1956
Mickey Rourke, 1956
Robin Yount, 1955
Mark McEwen, 1954
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 1950
Susan Ruttan, 1950
Ed Begley, Jr., 1949
Elgin Gay Baylor, 1934
Anne Francis, 1932
Peter Falk, 1927
B.B. King, 1925
Lauren Bacall, 1924
Janice Page, 1923
Allen Funt, 1914
James Cash Penney, 1875
Francis Parkman, 1823
Anthony Panizzi, 1797
Hildegard of Bingen, 1098
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Frasier"(TV), 1993
"Miami Vice"(TV), 1984
"Logan's Run"(TV), 1977
"Bridget Loves Bernie"(TV), 1972 (first mixed marriage portrayed on television)
"Mannix"(TV), 1967
"Shindig"(TV), 1964
"The Outer Limits"(TV), 1963
"Broadway"(Play), 1926
Today in History:
The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changes its name to Boston, 1630
Handel's "The Messiah" premiers in Dublin, 1741
The Great Seal of the United States is used for the first time, 1782
Russians set fire to Moscow shortly after midnight – the city burns down completely days later, 1812
Slavery is abolished in all French Territories, 1848
The Cherokee Strip, in Oklahoma, is opened, making land available to white settlers, 1893
Roald Amundsen discovers the magnetic south pole, 1906
William Durant, carriage-maker, founds General Motors Corp., 1908
Juan Perón is deposed in Argentina, 1955
Malaysia is formed, 1963
Cape Verde, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe join the United Nations, 1975
Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from the trolleybus that had fallen into Erevan reservoir, 1976
An earthquake measuring 7.5-7.9 on the Richter scale hits the city of Tabas, Iran killing about 25,000 people, 1978
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations, 1980
The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion, 1987
The Pound Sterling is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue against the German mark, 1992
Mexico celebrates its 200th anniversary of independence, 2010
Denmark elects its first female Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 2011
NASA scientists announce the discovery of a circumbinary planet - a planet the orbits two stars instead of one, 2011
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announces a successful artificial insemination as Mei Xiang gives birth to her second giant panda cub, 2012
The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is found in tap water near New Orleans, the first time ever detected in the U.S. water supply, 2013
Those sure are some great things to be thankful for. It is amazing what we all take for granted in our lives. Good reminders. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. It reminded me of how fortunate we are in the USA. And the generator is noisy, but at least they give us much needed power. Have a nice day. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a very inspiring post. Paying attention to sounds around you and what they signify is beautiful. Pages turning in a book, the coffee maker, sound of the leaf blower tells me my husband is finishing the yard and will be in soon .
ReplyDeleteYes, hearing is a wonderful thing. I'm thankful for all the wonderful sounds I hear each day too.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
I love your list of "hears". They are all on my list of favorites. I would add the sound of my hubby's strong heartbeat next to my ear.
ReplyDeleteI always like your glass half full of milk and honey.
ReplyDeleteYou know Mimi, Every night just before I settle down in bed, I give the Lord my respect to him and thanking him for the great day I've had. I've done it the same way since the day after my stroke. You know my friend, you never know what will happen after you far a sleep. If it means that He's allowing me to go through another beautiful day, I'll continue saying another prayer thanking him for that day. I think there are far to many people forgetting God for what we have been given every day. The world is in a dangerous deal and people should pray for some help from God. Thanks Mimi for allowing me to express my feelings. See ya.
ReplyDeleteCruisin Paul
I'm also grateful fort my hearing, although as I age I have greater difficulty tuning out peripheral noise, especially in restaurants.
ReplyDeleteI am also thankful and grateful for my hearing. We tend to take it for granted. I love to hear the voices of our love ones, the chirping of birds and so many other sounds around us. Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteAnother very good TToT (as part of your most excellent and creative theming of a list)
ReplyDeleteSounds do have such power. To alert us and remind us, warn us and welcome us. And... and! they (some sounds of some music) has the power to transport us back in time.
cool
What a beautiful list! The paragraph about the washing machine made me smile. I'm glad I don't have to beat clothes with a rock, too!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a lovely list, Mimi, I smiled all the way through it! As one with impaired hearing and a wearer of hearing aids, I know how precious sound is and how wonderful those small little sounds like kitty purrs can be. I cherish them just as you do! I am so glad you both take care of your hearing, I shudder when I see people doing loud things without ear protection! Thank you for joining us this week and always with your wonderful lists of thankfuls! XO
ReplyDeleteI'll have to tell my husband that it's wife appreciation day.
ReplyDeleteMimi,
ReplyDeleteHearing these simple things and giving thanks for pleasures of sound should be appreciated. We often take our senses of granted. We've learned this valuable lesson with DH who had a detached retina. Thankfully, the surgeons reattached it and it's mended but he still has a way before we can say he's completely out of the woods yet. We try to avoid loud noises, too. DH has excellent hearing. I swear I think he could hear a pin drop. That's how good it is but mine...not so much. When I was an infant and child I suffered horrible ear infections which resulted in a lot of scar tissue. I have the hearing of a much older person but it's been like this all of my life. I don't think it's necessarily gotten a lot worse but it concerns me. I wonder what it'll be like when I'm 70 or 80. I don't like the idea of having hearing aids but by the time I need help hearing then this technology should be greatly improved.
Thanks for the introduction of Ten Things of Thankful.