That Was Refreshing!

 

                President Nelson created a video (here) which many have watched and have accepted the challenge. Facebook was flooded with posts of gratitude.  How wonderful that was to read such positiveness on the home page rather than backlashing, politics, the virus, etc.  Many of the posts were written by people from my past – some who have not been on facebook for years, some of which I had no idea I was even friends with.  How great it was to connect with gratitude.

        I had started this month posting the 30 days of gratitude creating some new thankful favorites and perhaps duplicating what I had posted last year (here) but will not make a comparison until later on.

        Jenna tried to accept the challenge but may be feeling as grateful as Corrie ten Boom had been for fleas (see here) and had written:

         “I wish I could be one of those girls who could hug [her] bear and take a nap and everything will be better but no, I’m not that type of a girl and will destroy anything when I’m upset GIVE ME SOMETHING TO PUNCH!!! But that’s not what the prophet wants.  He wants us to be grateful so I’ll mourn on that.

        “I’m grateful I take online courses I absolutely hate. . . socializing has become super hard but I do enjoy being able to manage my homework and classes at my own speed rather than 8 hours of strai[gh]t 45 minute lectures.

        “I’m grateful for social media specifically tik tok. Say what you want about the gover[n]ment being after us and that kids spend way too much time making these videos.  I’ve made friends on tik tok and it help[ed] kept me s[ane].

        “I’m grateful fo Bonnie.  She’s not my dog but I always say that she is.  Bonnie is always wagging her tail and is such a sweet dog to be around. . . “

         She did include a few more things, but ended up deleting the post.  I am grateful I took a screenshot of it before she took it down.

        She did not add the hash tag #givethanks as so many others have as we were encouraged to do.  I get annoyed with the hashtag.  I never understood why it gets used.

         I hope that my gratitude may show 365 days of the year and not just in November or around the Christmas holiday.  Aside from too much complaining I have been looking for reasons to be grateful during this pandemic.  I am so grateful for many who have come on board.

Little Dogs and Scary Vacuum Cleaner

          Bonnie really is a sweet dog.  She constantly wags her tail.  She will follow family members around from room to room so that she doesn’t get left behind.  Jenna was away for three hours on Saturday and Bonne whined from the moment she left until the moment Jenna returned.  Yesterday she decided to make herself my buddy.  It was too cold for both of us to take her on a walk – although we did let her out to do her thing.  She somehow believed the weather would be different out the front door than it was out the back.

          Bonnie is threatened by dogs that are smaller than her.  She doesn’t seem to have any problems with cats.  She enjoys chasing squirrels and playing in the leaves.  I had the opportunity of seeing her violent side when she darted into the street to chew out a small dog walking with his/her owners.  I had never seen that before.  It was upsetting to the other owner as it was to myself. Jenna and I both cried about it. 

          Bonnie does not care for the vacuum cleaner.  She is intrigued enough to want to watch what it does – but will run away from it and observes from as far of a distant that is possible.  When I move the vacuum toward her (as I continue going from room to room) she will step aside and take off when she feel it’s safe to dart back into the hall.

          Bonnie snores louder than I do – or did.  I don’t think I snore anymore.  We have wondered if she has ADD as we are able to trick her.  She always wants to go out the front door.  A human holding keys and wearing a hat is a sign of going outside.  She will remain at the front door even though Jenna and I have often escaped out the back.  We can also put her dog food on a human plate and she will eat it.  She doesn’t want it if it’s in the dog dish.

          We changed her diet and she seems to have a lot more energy.  Her owner said that she does not play fetch, but Jenna has taught Bonnie to bring back the string toy. Jenna threw it down the hall and Bonnie retrieved it.  Jenna threw it once again and Bonnie brought it back.  Third time.  Bonnie went down the hall and came back with her toy bone.  Jenna got excited.

          “Look!  Bonnie did a magic trick!  I threw her string toy down the hall and she turned it into this.”

          We have come to love Bonnie just as she loves us.  We will all miss one another should her owner return for her.

Not Exactly a Free For All

 

There was frost on

the ground and so

were the chickens. 

I don’t understand the draw. 

 

The roosters have

gotten brave enough

to approach us.

They will look at us

in the same manner as

Bonnie asking,

“Why don’t you feed me?”

 

At least Bonnie has an

excuse to look at us

that way. 

She has been placed

in our care after all.

 

The fowl are all trespassers. 

They are not our responsibility.

I have seen their owners

feed them but evidently we

have better grass, better

bugs, better vittles somehow.

 

The roosters have discovered

the bird seed carelessly

fallen to the ground

knocked over by greedy

birds eating from the bird feeder.

 

Roland thinks it is his

job to feed all of

the stray animals except

for the deer. 

The fowl are welcome

in our yard. 

The deer are not.

 

Right now we don’t

have anything that

the deer would be

interested in.

The fowl are

welcome to eat

all the bugs they want. 

 

The garden food is

for humans.

Other animals are

not to mess with

our garden.