Happy March! Spring is officially less than three weeks away and it's my favorite time of the year! Spring serves as a reminder that life cycles, so that when we are walking through dark times and hard times we can have faith that the sun will shine in our lives again, and joyful times will return. It's also good to remember that even before we can see those first green stems pushing thru the earth and buds forming on the branches, things are happening to create those changes that are invisible at the time. So it is with us, at times we may feel stuck in the dark, but there is a force of life inside of us working to bring about new growth.
Taking time each week to reflect on the positives in our life - the big and small things we have to be thankful for - uplifts us, and by sharing those here we encourage each other. That's what I love about Ten Things of Thankful, it creates a positive environment that is so nurturing of more!
Keep in mind that you are not required to list ten things if you just can't come up with that many, but do the best you can! The idea is to recognize that we have a zillion little things in our lives to be thankful for as well as the big things that stand out. One thing I've found helpful is taking a few minutes each night to make a note (on my phone in my case) about something that blessed my day. When it comes time to write my TToT post I already have at least seven items for my list! Not only that, but it ends my night in a thankful frame of mind. :-)
This week's link-up will open shortly after midnight CST on Thursday night, and will remain open until Tuesday night, so you have plenty of time to work on your post. Please check back next week for new links that were added in later, those folks will appreciate your comments too!
I'd like to start something new here this week to help us all get to know each other a little better. Please take a moment to answer the following question in the comments section below... Where do you live, and what do you most like and most dislike about living there?
I live in rural West Texas. Our nearest city is about fifteen miles away. I love the sunrises, sunsets and mild winters here. I dislike the lack of lakes and trees, and triple-digit temperatures most of the summer, but at least we have very low humidity so it cools down nicely at night and mosquitoes are rare. :-)
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm "Frist" this week! In answer to this week's question, I live where Josie does :-)
ReplyDeleteI love low humidity and very few mosquitos a lot, but unfortunately, where I live, we have both those things in the summer.
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I live in Ontario, Canada. I love all four seasons and I don't love so much those mosquitos you speak of. Pretty much, the things you don't have there in Texas are the two I dislike about living in this part of Canada. I do love the lakes nearby and living in Canada, for so many reasons. Great exercise for this comment section.
Hi Kerry! I do kind of miss the four seasons I grew up with in the Midwest. Here it just goes from hot and dusty to cool and dusty but no real change of colors, and Christmas feels very strange indeed without snow! You are blessed with lots of greenery and lakes up there, sadly, mosquitoes go with that and they love me way too much! Thank you for sharing with us!
DeleteI live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. There really isn't anything I dislike about this area. I like the changing seasons, the wide variety of terrains in this state, and the fact that the state has a very diverse population. We live about an hour from the beach and an hour from the mountains. Although there are some winters when we have more rain than usual, most winters seem to combine days of rain and/or cloudy days, or even sunny days. This winter we have more snow days than our usual one snow storm in the winter.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Oregon but your location sounds perfect, mountains and ocean both close enough to visit. I am jealous! Rain is ok with me, it makes things grow! Here we are thankful for any rain we get, and so are the animals. A diverse population is nice, it brings perspective and an appreciation for others! Thank you for sharing with us!
DeleteI'm a big fan of the Frasier TV show (or was, I suppose, since it's not on anymore) and always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest. It sounds like a lovely place.
DeleteI live in Howell, NJ. I like the diversity of landscape - ocean, woods, county parks, urban, suburban, rural. I dislike the high property taxes.
ReplyDeleteI love the beautiful scenery there that you share with us via photos, Val! How wonderful to be able to take a walk or bike ride along the beach! You have amazing trees too, and of course all the shopping you could ever want or need. High property taxes are not fun, ours are very low here... for good reason. :-/ I would gladly pay a little more to have some trees and water. Thank you for sharing with us! XOXO
DeleteI live in South Carolina. I like living in a city that is not too big and has trees and flowers everywhere almost all year round.I like the short winters that are usually mild. I dislike that the summers are hot and humid...way too hot and humid.
ReplyDeleteFrom the photos you've shared on your blog, it is such a beautiful place, Patricia. I envy you those trees and flowers, and the gorgeous view from your balcony! Heat and humidity are admittedly not so fun. I lived in Augusta, Georgia one year, the summer was miserably humid. It's a trade off I suppose. :-) Thank you for sharing with us!
DeleteThat would be the part about the south that I dislike, Patricia! It's way too hot and humid for me. Pretty much anything south of Delaware is too much for this girl. :D
DeleteI love my beautiful state of Colorado, USA. In the city of Lakewood, we get some snow that melts soon and we can drive as normal the next day or two. I love the numerous parks and open spaces I can go for long walks with my dogs. I love the sunny state with red rocks and mountains.
ReplyDeleteWhat's not to like? I have to think about this one. Oh, the legalization of Marijuana.
Colorado is indeed a beautiful state! I lived in Denver for awhile when I was much younger. So many pretty places to drive and walk, and the scenery is amazing! We vacationed in the mountains in Southern Colorado last summer, and loved it! The legalization of marijuana has certainly changed things there, we noted that as we drove across the border from New Mexico into Colorado, lots of people coming across for that purpose. Though I think someday we will see it legalized throughout the country. Thank you for sharing with us!
DeleteIm in rural western MA... Aboutvtwo hrs out of Boston in the Berkshires aka Norman Rockwell country. I never understood vacations in the Berkshires because its pretty low key but living here is awesome for that very same reason...lots of scenery. I live a sort of quasi pseudo farm life that we are slowly letting go of but never entirely I suspect as we still live in a renovated shaker barn...which begs the question..."what do ya live in a barn!!??"
ReplyDeleteOops...what dont i like? We have one city that is riddled with drugs because of our close proximity to both NY and south eastern MA. Its a drag professionally as a therapist but heartwrenching on a personal level.
DeleteYour scenery is truly gorgeous and I love that each season brings it's own beauty. LOL at living in a barn, I heard that expression fairly often growing up in the Midwest. :) Your barn looks like a picture postcard! Cities always have their issues, drugs is definitely not a good one to work with or live with. Here it is violence, disproportionately high for the size of our small city. That's why we also like living out in the country with a little distance from that. Thank you for sharing with us!
DeleteI think I would love to live where you do. New England is one of my absolute favorite things in the world. Vermont is awfully nice, too. We honeymooned there.
DeleteJust about to go write my TToT for this week. I live in Eastern PA. I like that we are surrounded by family and the history of growing up here. I don't like how some of the good old-fashioned parts of our history have been erased here in the name of "progress." Pfft. (I know, I sound like Thoreau...) What we lost in our glorious downtown does not hold a candle to the "new and improved" version that the nearby city thinks is a "Renaissance" and a good idea. It's not. Glad enough for the things around us that do remain, though.
ReplyDeleteI love that you have family and your family history surrounding you, so that you can share that experience with Zilla. It is awesome that she can enjoy some of the same places and things you were able to as a child. I so agree with you though that "progress" when it's defined as removing the old and replacing it with new, is so often not a good thing, and has none of the character it replaced. Every time I see another beautiful old building sitting vacant and subsequently vandalized and eventually falling down it breaks by heart. I love the view you have from your upstairs writing window, I would like to trade! :-)
DeleteAs much as I do not love about this particular house and its location, we do have some nice views around and the sunsets are absolutely stunning up here.
DeleteI have mine on my site. I live in Creola, Alabama which is about 10 minutes outside of Mobile, Alabama at the very bottom of Alabama. I love it here because it's near the beach and near anything and everything you want to do. What I don't like about it is probably that I hardly know anyone ... but that is ok. Means I won't be bothered much either. LOL.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky you are to live near a beach, that's my fantasy life! It can be lonely not knowing many people where you live, but the good thing is that it's easy to find friends on the internet too, and fellow-bloggers make awesome friends. I understand about the not wanting to be bothered, I am pretty private too, and I like my time to myself as much as I enjoy socializing here in the blogsphere!
DeleteI live in Staffordshire, UK. The countryside is beautiful around here and the perfect place for walks. However, there are areas which are very run down and the local authorities won't invest money, which is a shame.
ReplyDeleteI envy you having beautiful countryside for walks with your darling little dog! Where I live in West Texas it is most often hot, brown and dry. It is sad when areas are allowed to become run down, I wish that communities would place more value on preserving land and buildings that comprise the history of the area. Once gone they cannot be replaced. Thank you for sharing with us!
DeleteI live in the high desert in Los Angeles county. I love that our skies are clear and there is plenty of space--it's not just endless city like it is in Los Angeles. I dislike the extremely hot summers and I really miss greenery. I like being within driving distance of Los Angeles, Orange county, and San Diego.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have the perfect location, space of your own yet close proximity to big cities/airports/etc. I know from the sunset photo you posted, that the high desert has a beauty of its own! I miss greenery too and dislike our hot summers too. Thanks for sharing! :-)
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