Monday October 11th, 2010

The exercise:

Seeing as today is Thanksgiving here in Canada, I have a question for all of you fine folk: what are you thankful for?

We got back to work in the cabin today, with much appreciated assistance from Kat's parents. We got the old oven onto the truck, moved the old fridge downstairs for extra storage, put the new fridge (kindly donated by Kat's aunt and uncle in Penticton) in its place, and I finally finished up the insulation work in the basement. Plus lots of cleaning and Kat graced a few more walls with another coat of paint.

Hurray for progress!

Mine:

I'm thankful for wide open spaces. For being able to see distant hills and know that only a handful of houses, some trees and grapevines, and maybe a road or two stand between us. For the massive swathe of sky I can contemplate during my daydreams.

I'm thankful for the birds that call the area around this house home. They might get a bit noisy sometimes but their chirps and calls are about a billion times better than car horns and the constant hum of traffic.

I'm thankful for this new home. For the silence and amazing night sky that surround it. For warm summer nights and crisp fall days.

I'm thankful for being blessed with the love and support of friends and family, both old and new. I surely wouldn't have made it this far without them.

I'm thankful for writing. I'm pretty sure my head would have exploded by now without this creative outlet.

I'm thankful for the land. For the garden, for the orchard. For the chance to work outside in both. For the opportunity to hibernate through the winter.

I'm thankful for my wife. Who and where would I be without her? A much less happy, less satisfied place, there's not doubt of that.

I'm thankful for the people that read and comment on this blog. I'd still do this for my own sake if you guys weren't around, but it's a hell of a lot more fun with you here.