Thankful Thursday

 The election results continue to drag on, with hopefully some kind of result tonight.  

As a friend said today, we need to hear something soon. Otherwise my stress eating is gonna get my weight to 270 before we see a result.

Meanwhile, I have a few things to be thankful for this week:

1.  My brother and sister-in-law sent me belated birthday/housewaming gifts. They went a bit over the top. My package included a small casserole dish that will work in my oven or my toaster oven, two cookie sheets, a set of three cutting boards, a huge box of storage containers (so that I can cook and store and freeze), a huge number of matching dish cloths, fuzzy socks, a new quilting book, and a Dickens Christmas Village church since he knows I left the village pieces for the other two.

2.  Socialization and other people. I've been sitting on the patio every day, knitting or doing something else for at least an hour. I've met quite few neighors as they walk and come and go, learned about places to drive and walk and shop, and seen multiple options for dragging groceries and stuff from the car (from traditional carts, to cloth wagons to something that almost looks like an upright wheelbarrow).  Also, I've been to my first "second half' get together with my church, which was so much fun. I reconnected with folks I knew at said  church before and am going to be doing two group things with them each week (a book group and this meeting).

3. As aways, I am thankful for the ability to self entertain and amuse myself and while I still miss my people up close and personal, I am comfortable and content (while not still settled in, or unpacked). I walk outside or workout in front of the TV, I experiment with my creative side all the time, and emjoying learning new skills and creating things that don't have to be perfect. I'm starting to experiment with cooking and baking for one, and have enough reading and televison to keep me going. Those things, along with seeing my daughter and visiting with my son and sister once a week and what's happening here are keeping me happy and content for now. 

I now have at least a partially function space to get my mojo back.

4.  I am thankful for sunshine and warmer weather.  While Colorado is a pretty mild state over all, even the ten degrees maximum difference has helped my pain significantly.

5.  I am happy that my sister and son are doing well and have developed their own dynamic since I have left. My sister is working from home. The shy little puppy dog that was curled up on the sofa has now lost all her shyness and turned into the barking hound from whatever it seems, and my son has moved into my large room and is turning his former room into a workout room /study room/den. He doesnt even want to change the bright yellow walls (when you have a borderline depressive personality, cheery things are cheery things no matter gender).  Things are moving along for them, which makes me happy.

6. You may laugh but I'm thankful for free trials.  I moved here only with an Amazon firestick and so far have only purchased internet. So I'm exploring the various options for news and local challenges including Hulu and YouTube live and the so called limited channel streaming option from my internet provider. Free trials all are helping me decide if any  them are worth it, or if I should just stick with my option of whatching PBS and the news and such online on my tablet/laptop.

Tonight, hamburgers for dinner. I'm gonna alternate news and The Queen's Gambit on TV while I make a two week grocery list and menu plan on clicklist, and the short list of things I absolutely need for the apartment (like a bathroom trash can).