Sunday, October 25, 2015

Glorious Fall Days Full Of Thankfuls

October really is a lovely month. There are warm days, sometimes even hot ones, where you can cling onto your summer clothes and flip flops for just a little longer, and there are snappy days with a little bite in the breeze that make you remember how much you love wearing boots and sweaters, and there are glorious days in between, with bright, blue skies and just a pinch of briskness in the air, and we've had them all this week. If that's not a thankful right there, then here are Ten Things of Thankful for the rest of the week:

1. I ran into Sam's Club (like Costco, for those of you who don't live in Walmart Country) the other day to pick up a few things, put my grocery cart away (where it was the only one in the little cart corral), went back to my car, pulled out of my parking space, and just as I put the car into drive, I spied with my little eye A GROCERY CART ROLLING RIGHT AT ME. I can't imagine where it came from, because I was the only one in the immediate area when I put my cart away, and I was preparing for the impact when it veered to my right. This was a thankful for me, but the cart's next intended target was the bottom end of a woman loading groceries into her trunk. I started honking my horn like a maniac to get her attention. She looked up at me and gave me a half smile, then noticed I was frantically pointing behind her. She turned around in time to catch the cart before it boffed her in the butt.  

2. As I drove past the cart corral, I was happy to note that my cart was still firmly parked where I left it and was NOT the runaway cart, because that would have really sucked. 

3. It's been a long, dry spell since I indulged in my little hobby of taking pictures of exposed butt cracks, but I was rewarded with a pretty decent shot in the checkout line at Walmart:


As if the butt crack weren't bad enough, we now know
he buys his underpants at American Eagle.


4. I really, really hate spiders, but in the fall, we always have a big 'un spin a web in our carport, between the posts along the driver's side. This year, there is a GINORMOUS spider setting up camp there. I keep forgetting it's there when I go to my car and when I pull in the carport and get out of the car, and he scares the bejeebers out of me every time, but as long as he stays in his web and doesn't try to attach himself to me in any way, then we can coexist. So far, so good.


Gargantuan spider. I couldn't hold anything up there for
reference, because I was too scared, but suffice it to say
that his body alone is bigger than a quarter.

5. Volleyball is over, over, OVER for the season! The girls lost in their first game of District play, and this hellish season is DONE.


Isn't this awesome? One of Emma's friends found it in the
archives of the paper for fall sports. It didn't make the paper,
but it should have.

6. But the Kansas City Royals? Yeah, they made it to the World Series. 

7. When we bought our house 18 years ago, the refrigerator came with the house. We had a practically new side-by-side that we brought with us from California and were going to put in the kitchen instead, until we found out it didn't fit in the refrigerator hole. It went down to our basement to live instead and has been useful to store extra flour and baking mixes and rice and other foods that can get bugs in them. The freezer side has always had some overflow stuff and odds and ends, but we also have a chest deep freeze big enough to hold at least one body (not that we've tried, but still). Wednesday, I went down to look in the freezer of the side-by-side to see if there were any frozen vegetables stashed in there and found there were only thawed ones. Let that wash over you a minute. The motor was still humming away, but the inside of the freezer was barely cool. I threw away half a trash bag full of food that had thawed (including some salmon fillets that should have been in the deep freeze in the first place), leaving only some gel ice packs on the shelves.  Then I opened the refrigerator side (it didn't have anything perishable in it), and, not having any clue what to do about the whole situation, turned off the switch, then turned it back on and sadly hauled the trash bag outside. Fast forward four days. I went into the basement for something and decided to go see if the side-by-side had fixed itself (ha ha ha). I opened the freezer door, and was met with a puff of cool air and gel ice packs that were almost frozen. WHAT. THE. HELL? I list this tentatively as a thankful, for obvious reasons.

8. I bought a new pair of jeans. I hate to shop for jeans, but finding a pair I not only liked but that were also on sale was a pleasant surprise.

9. We went to the lake house this weekend with the primary purpose of visiting nearby Silver Dollar City, an 1880s theme park. It's always seasonally decorated, but the fall decorations are my favorite. It was a gorgeous day, I got to sit and listen TWICE to a little bluegrass band that has been playing there for many years and that I adore, and THERE WAS NO FIGHTING, BITING OR OTHERWISE HATEFUL BEHAVIOR from any of my family.




10. Ruby made the journey with us to the lake house, but I guess when we left this morning to go to Silver Dollar City, she was not happy. My parents had gone out to get Sunday papers when we returned in the early afternoon, and we found this note from my mom on the refrigerator door:




My mom cracks me up!

Be thankful, be thankful, be thankful!



Ten Things of Thankful


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15 comments:

  1. There you are! I was just finishing my way through the TToT posts and wondered where you were - I refreshed and you showed up. Yay!
    So the spider was TOO MUCH for me. I hate them so very much. I would be very unhappy with one that size - or any size - in my carport. Ugh.
    The fridge thing - what the heck??? Just had a moment like that tonight with the microwave. I hit the button, it makes a horrifying noise. The Hub comes up and checks...it's fine. Whatever.
    Our CSA pickups end this week and I'm kind of glad - your volleyball end made me think of that. Sometimes even the things we love need to just stop for a while because enough already!
    Hope you're well. I've been missing a lot lately and out of touch. We'll have to catch up soon, OK? XO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been very late getting my post done for several weeks. That really needs to change!
      That spider is just dreadful! He scurries to the top of his web when I come out to the car, so he doesn't want to be near me any more than I want to be near him.
      Sadly, I went to check the fridge last night and every thing was warm and squishy again. Sigh.
      I've missed you, too! We will have that catch up chat soon! xxxooo

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  2. that's the one thing about fall (and winter) that I don't mind… the decreased presence of our eight legged friends.
    the ones outdoors around here don't seem to try to get into the house when the cold arrives, I assume because there's not enough food in our kitchen to support their horrible little selves… guess they move to Florida for the winter…. the people down there are old and slow to move, safer, less chance of death by newspaper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know where this 8 legged friend is planning to spend the winter, but as long as it's outside, we'll be fine. He's definitely of the outdoor variety. I imagine he'll be heading for the bus station before too long.

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  3. That's a big spider to peacefully coexist with. Just think of all the mosquitoes he's been eating all summer. I have a 25+ year side by side fridge in my kitchen. We had an incident when it leaked because a blueberry was stuck in the frost free hole in the back of the freezer. I'm thankful for that fridge, and I know what you mean. Nice to enjoy the beauty of Fall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If he didn't take up residence right next to my car door, it would be easier to coexist.
      I think the fridge is a goner. I checked it yesterday and it was warm and cozy inside.

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  4. Oh now HOW did she know Ruby was sad? I do like your mom.

    And I love that you got to listen to little bluegrass bands, and that your family all behaved themselves.

    Aaaaannnnnnndd..my spider's bigger than yours ;P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She said Ruby kept sitting forlornly in the hallway.
      Next time you come, we're going to Silver Dollar City. I had planned to do that with you last month, but they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the fall.
      You keep your spider on your side of the Atlantic and I'll do the same with mine!

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  5. That is a big spider to greet you every week!
    My great-grandpa played for a farm team of the Kansas City Royals, if I have my family history right. In any case, I'm happy when they do well.
    I'm sorry about the loss of your freezer food. I've had freezers go out before, too, and it's definitely no fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's heart stopping to look up and see him inches from your head.
      HOW COOL that your great grandpa was a former Royal. I think the farm team that preceded the Royals was the A's. I was pretty young when the change was made, so I could be wrong.
      When we had the ice storm and had no electricity for 9 days, we lost everything in our deep freeze, and that was during a time when we shared half a beef with my parents, so that was a LOT of meat thrown away.

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  6. Oh my....the grocery cart fiasco ...and then the Sam's club line??? Those are great stories ! But,yea..that spider is way too big...reminds me of Charlottes web. Glad you made it through volleyball season. Who would think...you are the third person I now know in Mo. The pictures of the fall leaves are so beautiful. My bestest friend of ever...she lived next to me for 30 years and our girls grew up together...just moved to Parkville, just north of Kansas City...(and moved from California.) If you are in that area, I will have to have you look her up !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It makes shopping a lot more interesting when oddball things happen!
      When that spider starts writing words in his web, I'll like him better.
      Missouri isn't such a bad place - you should come visit! I know where Parkville is. One of my good friends lives near there. It's a nice area.

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  7. I'm sure the lady appreciated you getting her attention before being buffeted by the cart! You have a bigger heart than me regarding the spider. I wouldn't want to be greeted by him so frequently, plus, I'd be concerned that the one would soon have a whole slew of little ones encroaching upon my space. It sounds like you had a wonderful day at the theme park. Hope you have a great week.

    ReplyDelete