Ten Things of Thankful: Leaping Lizards! and Other Thankfuls

 

A western (blue belly) lizard performs push-ups on a fence railing

I love to read Ten Things of Thankful lists other bloggers contribute each week. Some items are big, life-changing thankfuls, but often, it's the small, everyday things that contribute to the sense of gratitude. Much of my list this week is of the seemingly insignificant variety, but nonetheless, I'm thankful for the small things that make me smile. 

1. I'm thankful for lizards. Granted, sometimes their scurrying startles me, but they aren't going to hurt me. I have seen SO MANY lizards this spring. I don't know if their abundance is a result of a rainy winter, but I'm going to assume so. In any case, their posturing displays amuse me. (Can you imagine the female lizards saying, "Wow! Look at how strong he is! And he has such a cute blue belly!")

2. I'm thankful for hummingbirds. They are keeping me busy refilling their feeders, but they are so fun to watch. Just as I've seen a lot of lizards, I have also seen a plethora of hummingbirds this spring. 

3. I'm thankful for goats. The remainder of my landlord's pregnant goats gave birth this week. One doe had 2 kids; the other had 3. Baby goats are so cute and playful!

4. I'm thankful for a kind stranger that asked if I wanted to go ahead of her in line at Costco. She had a full cart (as most shoppers at Costco do); I had only a few items. I wasn't in a hurry, but I did accept her offer. 

5. I'm thankful for humor. Some things just make me laugh. First the background: I'm been asked to volunteer with the young (11-18 year-old) women in the church. California has a law that requires all adults who volunteer with children to undergo fingerprinting. So, I went in to have my livescan done this week. The man doing the fingerprinting kept telling me to relax my fingers, then he asked me several times if I cooked a lot. I told him, "Just for me and my husband, so not as much as I did when the kids were at home." He said that he asked because my fingers were exceptionally clean and strong. (!) That just might be the strangest compliment I have ever received. (And it made me wonder, do people who need fingerprinting actually go in with dirty hands?)

6. I'm thankful for other opportunities to see new sites and find humor in surroundings. If you're a frequent reader, you know that I am participating in the A to Z Challenge this month, and I've chosen the theme of "Free to See." I've been acting like a tourist and visiting places around southern California that have free admission. One of the parks I went to this week had a nature trail, and although I have seen this particular type of plant frequently while growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I don't believe I have ever seen it labeled and allowed to grow right by a trail before. It cracked me up! I made sure to "let it be."

A sign on a bright green stake correctly identifies the bright green plant to the right of the photo as "Poison Oak"

7. I'm thankful for friends. My friend that accompanied me to the Hollywood Bowl museum last week joined me again this week for two tapings of the quiz show, Jeopardy. She even drove--which, if you've driven in LA traffic you know is no fun. However, we had so much fun at the taping and chatting on the way there and back--not to mention our stop at Porto's Bakery! I can't tell you details of the tapings, but if you watch on May 17 and 20, you might see me in the audience. :-)

8. If you do see me, remember, the camera adds pounds. I'm thankful that the scale continues to move in the right direction. I'm down more than 15 pounds now--a detail I wouldn't normally share, but there's something about "putting it out there" that helps me hold myself accountable. So thanks for listening! 

9. Last weekend was General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The messages were about Jesus Christ and how He should be our focus. Elder Dale G. Renlund's talk was an engaging example of that message. He related an experience he had with kayaking to make his point. It's worth a watch:

10. I'm thankful for John. He has accompanied me on a couple of my explorations this week, as time has permitted, and I love having him along for the adventures. Other places I've seen first, then taken him to later (or plan to do so.) Even with his busy work schedule, we make time for fun. 

Are the lizards leaping where you live? What are you thankful for this week? Write 'em down and link 'em up at the Ten Things of Thankful blog!