With Thanksgiving this week, we are reminded to be thankful.
Taking this a step farther, we should be thankful all the time.
AI Overview states that "Always thankful" means consistently showing appreciation for what you have, regardless of circumstances. This state of thankfulness, is a choice to live with quiet appreciation, notice the good in life, and connect to what matters most. 
Practicing gratitude includes:
1- A constant state of appreciation: It is a way of life, not a reaction to good events. It involves greeting each day with a thankful heart.
2- A perspective shift: It's the choice to focus on the good, even in difficult times, and to find things to value and appreciate.
3- Acknowledging the small things: Thankfulness includes recognizing often-overlooked blessings like small moments of joy, acts of kindness, or lessons from challenges.
Practicing gratitude can lead to greater life satisfaction, reduced anxiety, and strengthen relationships.
Saturday 11/22 - I was so thankful for the recent rains and that the ponds and lakes have risen. I also liked being occasionally confined to the house, where I needed to get things done. This week started out overcast, with chances of rain, but nothing really materialized. I wonder, is it okay to still wish for more (rain, because the ponds are still not full) even while being thankful for what we had gotten?
Mama Styx, what are you looking at? →
← Oh, Monita is hiding.
You two girls are silly.
I so appreciate being able to have cats; and cherish the love, life, and laughter they bring to our home. 
I went to the ranch mid morning to give Amiga her Previcox. I do this first thing when I get out there, almost every day. And then she and Zorro get a little bit of hay. 
Today, Amiga had just come out of the pond. She was dripping wet, and had stinky pond scum mud sticking to her sides. Ewh!
Then Jan, Patty, and I went for a lovely ride. I always appreciate my time on the trail with either of my horses and any of my friends. I am leading on Rico in this photo.
Patty on Zorro and Jan on Cash, following Rico and I up the road.
Here's Jan's photos of Patty and I, on our Pasos.
.png)
As usual, we had troubles getting the horses with their ears forward.
Patty and Jan headed back to the ranch after a couple of miles, but I continued down Marmaduke with Rico. I was needing and wanting to get more miles on him in solo rides, to continue to gain his trust and confidence.
When we got to the log cabin, he caught sight of the construction site and immediately stopped in his tracks and would NOT go forward. I worked and worked at getting Rico to 'walk on' and made some progress. But his two 180° spins to run away, along with the fast backing up to 'escape' made me a little tense.
So much for trust and confidence. I finally got off Rico and slowly walked my very reluctant and nervous horse down Marmaduke and past the six or seven trucks and nearly a dozen workers who were on their lunch break. I could tell, Rico still considered bolting a few times. Once to Beachwood, I got back on and rode Rico down the road, towards and under the power lines. We returned to the ranch going the 'back way.' Rico gaited (somewhat controlled) the whole way back and was a hot sweaty mess once at the barn. He was still wound up when I turned him loose in the paddock, and bucked and ran off. 😒
After dinner, Joe and I watched Hidalgu, an exaggerated but exciting story of the endurance rider, Frank T. Hopkins.
Sunday 11/23 - I had to hustle to get from church to the ranch by 11:15. I was messing with house keys when Karen pulled in and called the chickens over. She had just finished feeding them some leftovers when I took this photo. She spoils every one of our pets, and they all love her, as do us humans.
Oh, Gloria is fully recovered and back to her usual self, but now Black Betty is molting and looks pretty bad.
Karen and I had a lovely ride and I was quite thankful Rico had 'no hard feelings' after yesterday's stressful experience out on the trail. He did well today.
We have been in communication with Debra (our soon to be renter) who's mom had been very sick, and ended up passing away last night. This won't change her 'move in date' of 12/1, but I know has added a lot of stress to her leaving Wisconsin.
Monday 11/24 - I have already been spending too much time playing games on my Jacquie Lawson Christmas Village Advent Calendar. I can't even compare scores with the other ladies Cathy has gifted this to, because they are waiting until after Thanksgiving, or Dec 1st to start playing the games. We are all, always thankful to Cathy for gifting us this fun pre-Christmas activity.
I finally drug myself away from my computer, locked the cats in my office/cattery, and pulled out all the Christmas decoration storage bins.
I have to keep the cats out of the bunk room where everything is stored, but they were quick to start exploring once it was safe to release them.
Notice the table where I am working on writing and addressing Christmas cards.
I have to keep telling myself to 'keep it (decorations) small' this year because we will not be having any guests here for Christmas. But, as I go through the festive things I have, it is going to be difficult to resist.
Karen and I went for another ride today. Rico didn't come when I called him (which is a little unusual) but as I walked closer, he then did walk up to me. After he got a big, long drink; I saddled him up.
Jan had just gotten off Cash, and offered for Karen to do another little 'training' ride on him. So they did that. 
Meanwhile, Zorro stood very patiently, waiting (about 10 minutes) for Karen to return. Rico was also very good, tied nearby while I did a little extra grooming.
We had a very pleasant, uneventful, three mile ride, until... three
very nearby gunshots scared the crap out of all four of us. It was an extremely nerve-racking experience.
I was glad to see Karen and Zorro had made it safely back to the barn and she said Zorro had also spooked and she thought the gunfire had been near them because it was so loud. And she too had yelled something like: 'no hunting allowed.'
My riding app. shows a map of our ride. You can see where I turned around on Marmaduke. I also made a red dot on this enlarged picture, of where I believe the gunshots came from.
I hurried home and to the gym to be sure to have time for a good workout and shower before they closed. I was still feeling jittery, but just over 12 minutes into my warm-up on the rowing machine, I felt a let-down of the tension and was then at ease, much calmer feeling. Later when I researched this, I read there can be lingering effects from the adrenaline rush. 
If that physical energy isn't used,
the adrenaline and other stress hormones can remain in your system. As
your body tries to return to a calm state, the persisting stimulation of
nerves and muscles can cause involuntary trembling or
shaking. You can continue to be in a state of hyperarousal.
Then I got to thinking, this is what happens to Rico when he has a big spook at something out on the trail. He gets post-stress jitters = shaking/trembling. He also sweats, is very tense, breaths faster, and is what I call 'on high alert' = very anxious in his surroundings. He will sometimes urinate and really has troubles focusing on me and my riding aids to keep him walking onward.
Joe informed be that Debra had called, wanting to bring a second dog (her mom's) to live at the ranch with her.
After three hours and four stores, I went straight to the ranch to do chores. I took this photo of the three boys happily munching (out of the rain) to send to Bonnie and Jan.
.png)
Rico had rolled in his stall after eating and had shavings all over him when I opened the gate to let him out.
And then when all gates were open and the three boys were free to go, Cash rolled (video) in the same spot Rico had rolled.
Amiga and Zorro were also happy to come in out of the rain to eat. They have been loving their hay after their feed, probably because they are not getting much grass off the side pasture, as intended due to their weight gain when they had access to good grass 24/7 a month ago. I am thankful I have NO problems keeping weight on them, but overweight horses are more prone to health problems, and keeping their weight down has always been a struggle.
I did get the Christmas tree into position after adding a dozen more ornaments I'd bought at the Dollar ($1.50 now) Store.
I did a few odd jobs at the ranch before taking Amiga out for a little ride. Here she is, ready to go; no saddle, but leg wraps and 'don't shot me' neck band in case she were to send me flying and run off (which she has never done). We had a peaceful easy ride. I am always thankful to be able to have this wonderful horse.
I hustled to the gym and then through household chores and dinner, before watching Survivor with Joe.
Thursday 11/27 - Happy Thanksgiving!
God instructs us, through His words in the Bible, to offer expressions of gratitude to Him. To always be thankful.
Joe and I dropped Maggie off at Patty's and headed to Daniel's at 9am and arriving by 10:48. 
While Vale and her mom (Yaneth) and sister (Alexsys) worked in the Kitchen, Dan fed Layla a bottle. 
Fluffy Kitty, who had recently been shaved to remove matted hair, settled onto my jacket, that had fallen on the floor. 
He soon fell asleep. 
Alexsys with Layla.
Several photos I've included were taken and shared by Yaneth. 
Ava and her cousin Arie had loads of energy, so we went for a walk to release some of it.
There was even some running involved, but then Ava's feet started hurting because she was wearing dress shoes with heels. So Arie and I took turns carrying Ava back.
Courtney and Kent arrived and the fun and games continued. I pitched in, in the kitchen, a very tiny bit. Vale and Yaneth had it all very under control.
The action moved upstairs to the 'bonus' room, and Alexsys, who'd been napping with Kitty, got woken up.
We all got settled in to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas," since we'd seen the ice display less than two weeks ago.
At this point, I made a mistake, that would cost me some time, pain, and concern. Un-fluffy Kitty looked cold so I convinced him to come up on the couch by me. In the process of getting him settled on the blanket, he hissed and growled at me and when I picked him up to adjust the blanket, he bit me. He has gotten arthritic and grumpy in his old age. Poor old guy.
Well, he got me pretty good, with a puncture at my wrist/thumb area. It didn't bleed, so I chose to ignore it and watch TV for a few hours, including part of the Macy's parade and football, after our Charlie Brown show. Kitty slept peacefully beside me for awhile.
It was so nice to be gathered there in front of the TV with many loved ones. I was so content and thankful.
The girls had gotten restless and went back to their 'pool' game with their own set of rules and techniques. 
Kitty had also gotten restless, and then chose Courtney to settle in on. 
Layla needed a bottle, so after Dan took care of her, he joined us for awhile. And notice, Kitty went to sit with Dan. 
It didn't take Kitty long to ditch the scene because little Layla likes to get a hold of everything she sees. 
We played 'pass the baby' and continued watching football.
Kent and Joe were rooting for different teams and specific but different players for their Fantasy Football draft choices. So this made watching a little more lively and exciting. 
As dinner time neared and the table was set, we all started milling around and 'circling' like vultures. And just before we hit the serving line, I took this (video). 
Before Ricardo could finish carving the turkey, we all started in. Bah, ha, ha... look at me licking my chops.
No more photos were taken for quite awhile, because we were all busy feasting. 
I helped a little with clean-up, getting the first load of dishes in the dishwasher. And then it was photo time. Ricardo and Yaneth with their three granddaughters. 
Ava wanted to take her photo with Papaw and Nana, 'riding piggy back' like we had done during one of our walks.
I love this photo of Alixsis and Layla because of Vale and Yanith reflected in the mirror as they were both clicking their 'cameras.' 
Before the night was 'over,' we decorated Christmas ornaments. It was a very cool (but tricky) process of using holiday napkins and Decoupage glue to cover clear plastic or glass ornaments.
Joe and I headed out into the friged night to go to our AirB&B. By now my wrist the cat had bit, was quite swollen and very sore. I could barely use my wrist and thumb to lift and carry my bags. And our accommodations were a bit of a surprise. Our hosts were actually living in the house and we were just given the room and hall bathroom to use.
I took a Tylenol PM and hoped my wrist would stop hurting and that the night wouldn't seem too long.
Friday 11/28 - Valencia's Birthday and Black Friday.
Joe and I were both up fairly early, and since we were somewhat confined to the tiny bedroom to have breakfast, we decided to just go back to Dan's, but waited until 8am. I was thankful that the beds we slept in had been comfortable.
Ricardo was soon hard at work, fixing the guest bathroom toilet. Why do these things always break when you have a house full of company? 
A part was needed to fix the toilet, but first some Grandpa time with Layla.
Then Ricardo and Yaneth headed out on a little shopping trip. 
Kitty laying low in his bed under the table.
My wrist had improved overnight (the Tylenol helped) but 'deteriorated' as the day progressed and I was fairly sure it was infected. But I wondered if my body could deal with it on it's own?
Layla watching cars race with her daddy. She had enjoyed watching football the day before. Daniel said bright colorful things moving, captures her attention.
I went upstairs and joined the slumber party on the pool table. I actually did nearly fall asleep.
After lunch, so many leftovers from yesterday, Joe and I went for a walk with Arie and Ava, except Ava insisted on riding in the stroller.
Happy Birthday was sung to Vale and then Joe and I headed home.
On the way home, I got a message from Jan, that Robbie had died overnight. I passed the message on to Jean and later she share this photo. It was taken the day Robbie had arrived at the ranch. We were both thankful for the wonderful experience with Robbie and the year we'd had together.
Joe and I picked up some Epsom salt at Food City and then Maggie, before arriving home at 2:30. The image below shows side-by-side photos of my two wrists. Its hard to see, but my left (infected wrist) was red and swollen.
Part of me wanted to put on my PJs and call it a day, but I knew it would be wise to have my bite looked at. So I went to a walk-in clinic in Crossville. By 6pm I was back home with an antibiotic feeling relieved to know this should help me get over this infection quicker, and before it got worse. An Epsom salt soak relieved some of the pain and another Tylenol PM had me sleeping soundly for the night. I was not happy about this latest affliction, but still so thankful for my life and the past two days with family.
No comments:
Post a Comment