Thursday, June 03, 2010


This is the little garden outside my front window.

Life can be kind of tricky sometimes. Finances are tough on lots of people lately. Personally, I worry about the environment more than is healthy, and like most of us, I generally have a thousand things that need doing at any given moment. But a few days ago, when I was in a particularly foul mood, I peered out of my ridiculous gloom and thought…holy crap, it’s spring…and I live in a picture book.
So, in an effort to remind myself that life’s really pretty okay, I thought I’d post pics of some of my favorite things. (ala The Sound of Music)















How can anyone be gloomy when the lilacs are in bloom?













This is one of the first faces I see each morning. And one of the nicest guys I've ever met. :)


















Our poultry. Fresh, organic, cage-free eggs delivered bright and early each morning.












Here's a little piece of the path I walk daily in an effort to get my head together. (Sometimes this works better than others.)


















Little Silly running home from the back pasture.










So that's it...my favorite things, but I'm still not in danger of bursting into a Julie Andrews song anytime soon because, as you know, every single piece of life takes work. The cute little garden above requires constant weeding. The horses seem to like to eat twice a day every day. (Not to mention grooming training etc. And Silly is crazy. I love her, but she's crazy.) The lawn that hosts the lilacs needs mowing, and the rooster (I call him dinner:) often takes offense to my footwear (sometimes he just doesn't like my shoes--shrug) and attacks me when I enter his domain.

But just for today I'm going to try to be grateful for all the wonderful things in my life.

So, how about you? Join me in a little Thanksgiving in June. What are the best parts of your life? (It's okay if they're also the most difficult.)

www.loisgreiman.com

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Lois, you're my hero. I needed a little Thanksgiving this morning and you came through! I truly envy you your woodsy path and sanity time. And what a face to wake up to each morning-- adorable.

Right now it's 6:30 am and I'm hearing rumbles of thunder outside and praying for rain. Yesterday it was 95 here with a heat index of 107. It was actually hard to breathe outside. After a record cold winter, now we're getting a record hot summer-- no spring in between. The seasons are going bonkers. A little rain please-- no more teasing.

Anyway, as for thanks-giving-- I'll say good friends and family who'll listen and be there through the ups and downs of life. And a dog with an endless capacity for affection. And a couple of kids who call regularly and make room for "mom" in their lives, despite busy schedules. Oh, and health. Can't forget that!

Leanne said...

Lois, what beautiful photos AND thoughts! Thank you so much for sharing them. I agree to Thanksgiving in June (July, August, September...)

I'm thankful for my family, health, friends, sunshine, blooming flowers, a trip to the beach and my dog too.

Leanne said...

Oops, forgot. Another reason to be thankful today -- IF YOU DARE is that today is National Donut Day. Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts are giving away free donuts. I'll take a glazed Krispy Kreme with chocolate frosting or none at all!

Michele Hauf said...

Love those chickens! Didn't you just get back from descending into the Grand Canyon, Miss Lois? How did that go? I would have gone along with you, but you would have had to leave me there at the bottom because no way would I have had the strength to climb back out!

Let's see, today I'm thankful for great friends, delicious pulpy orange juice for breakfast. A perfect magenta peony sitting on my desk right now. The coolness of last night's rain still lingering outside my window. And oh yes, as I'm typing in the comments, the pictures to the right in the sidebar feature hunky menfolk to stare at. Doesn't get better than that!

Unknown said...

Betina, I would pay good money to be your hero. You've always been mine. Which, I guess, is another thing to be thankful for...people to look up to.

Playground Monitor said...

The past 18 months have been absolute hell for me. I'm going through a divorce that turned nasty and I moved out of my home and into an apartment last fall. It's the first time I've ever lived alone. But I'm blessed with marvelous friends and a supportive family, and to quote Gloria Gaynor, "At first I was afraid. I was petrified. ... I will survive!"

Marilyn

Anonymous said...

How did you know we all needed a little Thanksgiving right about now? I've titled the past week as a rotten, horrible, no good, very bad week. I will not bore you with details.

But this post, along with a timely delivery of chocolates, has really cheered me right up. So I'm going to stop typing and go walk my puppy in the oppressive heat, only this time I am going to stop and watch the squirrels play, admire all the lovely flowers and watch the clouds go by.

And tonight I'm going to take the kids outside, bedtime be damned, and go catch some lightning bugs:)

Here's to a glorious weekend for everyone!

Unknown said...

Marilyn, I'm so sorry, but glad you have friends. Let's all say three cheers for friends. Huzzah!

Unknown said...

Michele, I AM back from the Canyon. A little more bruised and blistered but otherwise whole and hale. I'll try to blog about it soon.

runner10 said...

Love the horse pics.
My family always makes me smile.

Christie Ridgway said...

Love the pics! They made me smile. Your rooster story reminds me of my desert tortoise who loves my toes. He thinks my painted toenails are strawberries and will chase me around the yard trying to get to them (amazing how fast he can be).

I'm pushing off a little gloom myself since it seems I've torn some cartilage in my knee (dog story). I'm laid up for a bit which makes me nuts. But Surfer Guy as been treating me like a queen and I have great friends and a lot to look forward to. And a new book out this week!

Right now I'm grateful for ice and anti-inflammatory medication too.

Helen Brenna said...

Lois, I'm thankful for all your pretty pics and your thoughtful post.

And here's to good friends! I'm going out to dinner with a few tonight and then Sex and the City 2! Yay!

Christie, I'm so sorry about your knee. Do you need surgery, or are they hoping it'll heal?

Kathleen O said...

What wonderful pics. Especially love the horses. Always remind me of my dad. So thanks for that. One of the things I am most grateful for is being able to look over at the park and see all the little children enjoying the day. There laughter just feels like sunshine on a gloomy day...

Cindy Gerard said...

OMG Lois. Love the pictures and the pick me up. And I want to hear all about the Canyon!! I want to go back but I know I couldn't keep up with you.
Christie-ouch on the knee, hon. Hope it gets better soon.

And hugs, Marilyn. I think about you.

I have an embarrassment of things to be thankful for of late and for that I'm grateful. We also live in the country and the gardens are just glorious this spring. My bird feeders are as busy as O'hare and that always makes me smile along with my doggie and the cats and of course family and friends. Right now, life is so good, it's kind of scary but I'm not going to go there, I'm just going to enjoy.
Thanks for reminding me how good things are.

Unknown said...

Anna, sorry about the awful week. They come and they go I guess.

And Christie, heal fast. I think you and I are probably equally awful at sitting still.

Debra Dixon said...

What a lovely lovely post.

I've had a gloomy week despite many good things, which means I'm not remembering my good things.

Thanks, Lois.

And when you name a horse "Little Silly" you have to know something is up. I'm just sayin'...

catslady said...

What glorious pics. I too need that reminder. I just had a wonderful vacation but came home to my dearest cat who wasn't thrilled with my being away and apparently combined with a tooth problem - I'm not sure he is going to make it :( But I am grateful for my family and other furbabies.

Loralee said...

Thanks for the "be thankful" reminder, Lois. Having just celebrated my 75th birthday last week, I definitely have a long list of things to be thankful for.
Friends, family and health top that list. Good books to read are there, too. RWTTD ladies are counted among my treasures, right along with all my writer friends.

Hope to see some of you in Orlando!