It's a little odd, this week i'm very thankful for things that did not happen, or things that did happen but could have been worse.
We got rain, but i am thankful we had enough sunshine that The Generator Guy was able to pour the concrete for the new pad, and further thankful that he covered it well because of course it poured buckets for a good half hour that night. It could have been ruined, but wasn't, and the generator is now on the new pad that will not rot.
This week has been spent house-sitting and cat-sitting, and trying to figure out how to get Oliver and Annie to come inside, to no avail. Abigail stays in, Duchess stays in, Pudding Puff goes in and out but is always prompt for meals, Gussie gives me looks of disgust because she does not like my management style and often decamps to her other house (coming by for canned food, of course). But poor Oliver and Annie are so afraid of strangers that i have not been able to get them in at all, and i'm grateful that even with the wet weather they are fine and come to the outdoor buffet for the feral cats.
Also i am thankful that i have once again been rescued by just enough rain from ruining their garden. Leaving me in charge of watering or tending plants is a very tenuous idea.
The raccoon has only come by once. He is not fully grown, but i still have a healthy respect for him and don't want to get too close, so i'm grateful he seems to have found another place to hang out.
That is with Ms. GA's house. Meanwhile, at Ms. V's house, i'm grateful the brown-out from a lightning strike didn't cause more damage. She called me about not being able to reach her land line and get the messages off her machine. The phone company will have to come out and take care of that, but it could have been much worse.
Another round with the check engine light in The Jalopy and i am thankful it's only the gas cap and i will again get another.
On Thursday, miscommunication ruled. My second client didn't understand what time i was coming and had to explain where the spare key was hidden. Of course, i had a hard time getting it. Then her husband came home and said he'd write a check after he ran one more errand. His car broke down, so he never got back until long after i'd left. Still i am grateful i was able to go back and get the check later.
Ms. S has had a difficulty with a family member, and for several days thought she wasn't going to be able to have me come clean for her any more. (This family member helps her pay for her cell phone, cable, and my cleaning.) It's been worked out, and i'm very thankful because now i don't have to try to finagle a way to make Ms. S let me help her for free, which is what i was going to do.
My Friday mostly exploded. At Ms. J's house, i was greeted with a request to clean the outdoor pavilion this time, and then just do a couple of things in the house. It was quite a lot, especially when the yard guys showed up and i didn't know if it was going to end up looking like i hadn't done anything out there. They were very careful and didn't mess up the cleaning, and i am thankful for that.
While out in the yard, of course i stepped in the dog mess and had to clean that. Then when i went to the store later to get food for rEcess, a bird managed to get a mess on the handle of the car, but only on the back of the handle so i didn't see it until i grabbed said handle. This is one of those times i am thankful that hands and shoes are both washable.
As i unloaded the food at rEcess, i somehow missed my footing and ended up on the pavement. Right now i'm thankful the only thing i did was bruise my arm and my dignity.
Not everything goes right every time. Sometimes it really looks bleak. No matter what, though, keeping looking for the good things, the things for which to be thankful. Make your own list and link up at Ten Things of Thankful. You will never regret counting the good things that happen.
Today is:
Bison-Ten-Yell Day -- celebrating the imaginary Bison-Ten-Yell, inventor of 10 battle yells now used as American football signals
Braemar Royal Highland Gathering -- Braemar, Scotland (one of the largest gatherings and Highland Games, celebrated for the last 900 years)
Buffalo Wing Festival -- Buffalo, NY, US (two days of celebrating one of this town's favorite foods!)
Celtic Tree Month Muin (Vine) begins
Coughing and Spluttering Convention -- Fairy Calendar
Feast of Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Freddy Mercury Montreaux Memorial -- Montreaux, Switzerland (annual tribute to the work of Freddie Mercury)
Independence Day -- Transdniestria
International Bacon Day -- good day for a double decker BLT with grilled onions and Swiss cheese
Japanese Festival -- St. Louis, MO (celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan at the Missouri Botanical Garden; through Monday)
National Beard and Moustache Championships -- Austin, TX, US (check out some of the former competitors here; through Sunday)
National Blueberry Popsicle Day
National Day -- Vietnam
National Hummingbird Day -- not official, but someone loves them enough to have started this
National Writing Date Day -- a day to make a date with yourself to go to a coffee shop or library or someplace and get some writing done; sponsored by Natalie Marie-Collins)
Pierce Your Ears Day -- does a kitten screaming in my ear count? oh, since the person who decided we should celebrate this today didn't leave a trace, i guess it's okay to interpret any way we want
Sacrifice to Hekate and Artemis -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)
Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight -- celebrating the food and drink of this beautiful land, through the 17th
Sedantag -- Germany
St. Agricola of Avignon's Day (Patron of rain -- for or against, whichever you need! -- of good weather and storks; Avignon, France; against misfortune and plague epidemics)
VJ Day -- Surrender Ceremony took place on this date aboard the USS Missouri
Anniversary Today:
Beginning of the Marathon Runs during the Persian War, Sept. 2-9, 490BC
Birthdays Today:
Cynthia Watros, 1968
Salma Hayek, 1966
Lennox Lewis, 1965
Keanu Reeves, 1964
Linda Purl, 1955
Jimmy Connors, 1952
Mark Harmon, 1951
Eric Dickerson, 1950
Christa McAuliffe, 1948
Nathaniel “Tiny” Archibald, 1948
Terry Bradshaw, 1948
Peter Victor Ueberroth, 1937
Marge Champion, 1923
Cleveland Amory, 1917
Lili'uokalani, 1838
James Forten, 1766
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Rose-Marie"(Operetta), 1924
"East of Suez"(Play), 1922
Ordinance on the Danish Church(Publication Date), 1637
Today in History:
Cicero's first Philippic (oratorical attack) on Marc Antony, BC44
Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion, BC44
Octavian's troops win the Battle of Actium which ends the Final war of the Roman Republic, BC31
The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days; it ends with 8 dead and 13,000 houses destroyed, 1666
Great Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar, nearly two centuries later than most of Western Europe, 1752
US Treasury Dept. is established by Congress, 1789
The solar super storm continues to affect electrical telegraph service, 1859
Theodore Roosevelt adivses the US to "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." 1901
President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam becomes the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia, 1957
The Principality of Sealand is established, ruled by Prince Paddy Roy Bates, 1967
Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia; all 229 people on board are killed, 1998
Pope Benedict hosts an eco-festival, "Save Creation Day," in Loreto, Italy, to encourage Catholics to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, 2007
Ending a 50-year ban on veiled female news presenters, Egypt's state television gives its female presenters a choice of wearing, or not wearing, a veil, 2012
Swimmer Diana Nyad makes history, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, 2013
The public learns about AT&T's The Hemisphere Project, which gives telephone call data to law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, 2013
Oh, so sorry that you had a fall! Listen, that can happen so easily, thank goodness, you are okay!
ReplyDeleteI was worried at how much rain you might get. The rain totals from Texas are staggering.
Next week had better be a stunner for you or someone is going to get a piece of my mind.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had some roadblocks this week. I'm glad you let them roll right off your shoulders. I'm also glad you didn't hurt yourself seriously when you fell down. Hurting your dignity is enough.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and weekend. ☺
As you have said, it could have been worse. Thank God, there was no serious injury from your fall. And somehow everything worked out just fine. Have a blessed weekend!
ReplyDeleteGlad you weren't hurt in that fall, especially considering all the work you do. Love your stories of gratitude.
ReplyDeleteGreat list of thankfuls. I am sorry you fell, but glad you only had a bruise. That was sweet that you would have still cleaned for someone who couldn't pay. I am glad you were spared the hurricane damage.
ReplyDeleteYou have had a very challenging week for sure!! In the moment it can feel so FRUSTRATING to say the least, but all is well that ends well and it sounds like everything pretty much worked out ok, except for the bruising from the fall. I am also grateful that you weren't hurt worse, those things can end so badly!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine the challenges of cat-sitting for that many. Two of my inside furkids are very shy, one runs to hide behind the washing machine at the sound of any strange voice or knock at the door. The other two are cautious but will observe from a distance and eventually come out to be official greeters. I always groan if repairmen are wearing dark colored pants, they will leave looking furry!
I was so worried about the hurricane rains ending up upon you, I know you surely don't need more flooding to contend with. I am grateful that the generator pad was covered and survived nicely and now you don't have to worry about it anymore. It is so good to have one!
I remember once my father leaving the house to return to work after lunch and bird pooped on his head. Needless to say we kids found it quite amusing when he returned to wash his hair, he did not. :-) Yes, thankful we are washable!
I am so relieved that your engine light was only due to a gas cap issue, I always hold my breath when it comes to car problems.
I hope you have a little extra time to yourself this long weekend, and maybe some nice cool weather to enjoy as well! XOXO
Well three not so good things in one day met your quota, hopefully the next day was great. When I have days like that, I usually start laughing and wondering what is coming next. I'm not sure why it is that bad or unfortunate things come in threes, but that certainly has been the case in my life.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to get the generator pad completed in time, and that the check-engine -light problem was easily fixed.
I fell too, just today, and bruised both my knee and my dignity.
ReplyDeleteBlueberry is the only flavour that is being celebrated. Hmm. Strange.
Well, I would go to a library or coffee shop and write a story about hummingbirds.
:-)