Today started out not so great. A spider bite that I got during yesterday’s yard work woke me up because it itched like crazy. That was about 4 a.m. The cats then decided if I were vertical, it MUST be time to get up and parTAYYY. They picketed me as I crawled back in to try and catch a bit more sleep. (I eventually won the battle and they gave up when I hit them — gently — with some strategically aimed pillows. And then paperbacks. Don’t mess with me when I want to sleep!)

Then after breakfast, in what I thought would be a quick trip to the laundry room for fresh towels, I discovered that the deep freezer’s door was part-way open and there was already a small puddle forming on the floor. Two bags of trash later, and a re-arranged fridge and freezer, along with a bit of mopping, I opted to postpone the inevitable defrosting job and left for church and lunch with friends.

I could have stormed around all day. It was more of a :shrug: “Well, THAT was stupid” moment. The church fellowship hour enjoyed some great strawberry jam from last year’s bumper crop. (It was salvageable from the unplanned defrost job but needed to be eaten. We had takers, in case you wondered!) I have a clean freezer, one that still works, and several clean towels (the ones we used to clean up my mess sure needed washing!)

All in all, it wasn’t a great start to my birthday.

Yeah. That’s today. In the process of the freezer dump, what I had thought would be cooked for me tonight went in the trash. We are having salmon, green beans and baked potatoes — a nice dinner, not my fave (in case you wondered). But we are housed. We’re fed. We have the means to shop and replace what was lost. And in the grand scheme of things (besides my DOH!! moment) life is pretty good.

So I’m pausing to be thankful — for my husband and kids, parents and sibs, and a whole bunch of friends. And even for those of you I’ve never met except via cyberspace.

That’s a pretty good way to start a new year. 🙂