Pat Bean's blog

  ” I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” — Henry David Thoreau

I’m grateful that this Cooper’s hawk didn’t fly off before I could take this photo. — Photo by Pat Bean

Happy Thanksgiving All     

This is my annual blog to celebrate my blessings. The list of 100 things, in no particular order, is only the beginning. I hope your list is lengthy, too.

1. At 77, I’m thankful that I still wake up each morning eager for the day ahead of me – and that I’m not yet just thankful for waking up. I’m also thankful for:
2. Being born on a planet that contains beauty almost everywhere I look. All I have to do is slow down and see it.
3. My five children, each of whom has his or her own peculiarities, talents, personalities, strengths and weaknesses – just like their mom, from whom they somehow survived.
4. That I’m a writer, and get to experience life a second time around when I snatch it from the wings of butterflies as they float by. .
5. Air conditioning, which let me live through Tucson’s summer of 100-degree-pluses in comfort this past summer.
6. Sunrises and sunsets to color my dawns and evenings with joy.
7. Road trips, with the expectation of something new and exciting around every bend of the highway.
8. Books that make me think, and cry, and laugh, and which take me away from the chaos of this world for a while.
9. A good haircut for my thinning, graying hair.
10. Pepper, my canine companion, whose antics bring smiles daily to my face. Walking her from my third-floor walk-up apartment, five times a day, also helps keep this old broad’ body moving and more healthy. She’s my fitness gym.
11. Hot baths. To me this is the most luxurious thing I can think of, especially after spending nine years living full-time in a motorhome and having to make do with showers.
12. My morning cup of cream-laced coffee. No sugar, please.
13. Learning something new every day.
14. Smiles from loved ones, friends and strangers.
15. National Parks, State Parks, City Parks and landscaped lawn and flowers gardens that I don’t have to maintain.
16. My grandchildren and great-grandchildren, my reward for having children.
17. My late-blooming passion for bird-watching – and of course the birds..
18. A comfortable bed, and soft, warm blankets
19. Story Circle Network, and its amazing women who have become my writing supporters.
20. The Sonoran Desert, which has amazed me with its wonder for the past four years.
21. Pink and purple sunrises and orange and red sunsets, and all the other colors of the sky that welcome and end each day.
22. Butterflies.
23. Ibuprofen that eases the aging aches of this old broad.
24. Short, easy hiking trails that I can still manage.
25. Chocolate ice cream.
26. Kind, peace-loving men and women.
27. My monthly Social Security check.
28. Reading glasses.
29. Rainbows.
30. Comfortable shoes and clothing.
31. Journals – blank ones and filled ones.
32. My computer and the Internet.
33. Telephone calls from loved ones.
34. A good pen.
35. Spirit Players, a group here in Tucson that meets once a month to read plays, with everyone taking a role to read.
36. That I can still drive, and have a car to drive.
37. The smell of sagebrush
38. Competitive board games with good sports and lots of laughter.
39. That wolves and whooping cranes are still of this world.
40. Dreams that I don’t want to end instead of nightmares.
41. Wind chimes on a windy day.
42. My friends, both old and new.
43. A dark and stormy day and a good book, of which I always have one handy.
44. The twisty, curvy, long branches of live oak trees.
45. The $100 I won for winning a flash fiction contest this year.
46. The art of Emil Nolde.
47. Jack Daniels .
48. My nine years traveling this country in an RV.
49. The stars on a dark, clear night and nights when the moon is full .
50. My third-floor patio balcony that looks out on the Catalina Mountains.
51. Truthful, factual news reports.
52. The lush rubber tree plant that came back to me after 10 years living elsewhere, and my friend who kept it growing.
53. Beach walks, when I visit family on the Texas Gulf Coast.
54. The two tie-dye T-shirts a daughter-in-law sent me this year. At heart, I’m a flower child.
55. Pepper’s best friend Dusty, because when the two of they play together I can’t help but smile and laugh.
56. That I got to bird watch in the Galapagos and Africa.
57. Wildflowers.
58. My chicken and rice dish that my grandkids love.
59. My wrinkles, because I earned them.
60. Edward Abbey, whose fantastic book Desert Solitaire I just reread.
61. The art of Emil Nolde.
62. Modern appliances, especially washers and dryers
63. Black ravens on the red tile roof visible from my desk window.
64. My great-granddaughter’s sweet laugh.
65. The old typewriter on which I taught myself to type – and write.
66. Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, where I want my ashes scattered.
67. That I can still afford, just barely, good health insurance.
68. Living alone and never feeling lonely.
69. Followers of my blog, which now number over 1,000.
70. Morning walks with my canine companion, Pepper.
71. My pocket digital camera.
72. Acceptance instead of rejection slips. I do get a few of the former to go with the tall stack of the latter.
73. Achievements of my children.
74. Watercolors.
75. My memories of floating the Colorado through the Grand Canyon – twice.
76. Ponds moisturizing cream.
77. Warm, soft pajamas on a cold day.
78. My favorite pan, the one I cook 75 percent of my meals in.
79. Libraries.
80. My 37-year journalism career when newspapers weren’t considered archaic..
81. Non-partisan politicians with only the country’s best interests at heart – one can only hope there are some.
82. People who tell me I don’t act my age.
83. The strong women I’m descended from, and the women before me who fought for the rights I have today.
84. The color red, like my living room couch.
85. My curiosity.
86. Chili and tamales.
87. Oinkees for Pepper, because she loves them so much.
88. Aspen leaves in the fall.
89. Hugs.
90. Bookstores and Amazon.
91. The TV series Survivor and sharing its results weekly with a far-away son.
92. Antibiotics and vaccinations.
93. Surprises, the good kind.
94. Country music.
95. Maps.
96. Scented candles.
97. S’mores around a campfire.
98. The good report from my doctor after my annual exam.
99. Tennis balls that Pepper chases
100. And that I’m posting this a day early because I’m about to set off on a five-day road trip to spend Thanksgiving with friends.