Thumbs

Life is such a combination of good and bad, of pleasure and pain, of delight and disappointment--all mixed up together.  Here are some aspects of my life recently that have either gotten a happy thumbs UP or a sad thumbs DOWN.

Thumbs Down:
~ my allergies:  I had forgotten that, for weeks on end in the spring, my seasonal allergies make me feel like I'm sick...a miserable cold that lasts for several months, anyone?...uh, no, thank you...well, sorry, you have to have it anyway, complete with itchy eyes, sore throat, runny nose, and sneezes that can be heard in the next county
~ our dishwasher:  it's extremely discouraging to run a load in the dishwasher and open it up, expecting to have--gasp!--CLEAN DISHES...and then to see the dirt particles that still remain on glasses and bowls...ugh
~ my knee:  I have noisy knees that creak when I go up and down stairs...unfortunately, a week ago, I somehow strained my left knee and caused it to hurt quite sharply...I think the "strenuous exercise" that I was doing when I hurt it was getting up out of my glider rocker...I must be getting old  ;-)

Thumbs Up:
~ my knee:  after only two days of wearing a knee brace (left over from my basketball-playing days in high school), my knee recovered and is back to its normal creaky self...even when I put it to the test by doing a lot of work cleaning out flowerbeds and planting blueberry and raspberry bushes this week, it held up and didn't get injured further...now it feels completely fine!
~ my skin:  I have eczema on my hands which sometimes flares up dreadfully...for some unknown reason, it's been doing excellently recently, and I almost feel like a normal person  :)
~ the sound of ice in a thermos, promising a cool drink of Quick Refresher during a recent picnic in a park and reminding me of all the times in my childhood when I heard the sound of ice in a thermos (which was always for a special occasion)
~ waking in the morning to birds chirping gleefully and the rising sun peeking cheerfully through my open window...from where I lie in my bed, I can open my eyes and see part of the eastern sky...it's delightful to wake up this way--and even more delightful to then go back to sleep for a while longer  :)
~ Meredith's recipe for Cream Cheese Pound Cake:  it's definitely my favorite cake to use for strawberry shortcake, and topping it with berries fresh for our neighbor-across-the-road's strawberry patch is one of springtime's delights
~ Swish & Swipe:  one of FlyLady's techniques for keeping a bathroom always clean...it really works!
~ hearing chickens when I walk into the woodshed:  their yard is against the wall of the woodshed so it's easy to hear their clucks from inside the shed...such a homey, cozy sound
~ a shower at night after a hot day of working outside, then clean pajamas to wear to bed
~ our attic fan:  it pulls in a wondrously cool breeze at night that lowers the temperature in our house considerably...I can stand at the kitchen sink washing dishes and feel the fresh air being drawn in, and it's so nice
~ the three kinds of berries planted behind our house:  well, I still have to plant the strawberries (maybe tomorrow?), but someday, we'll have three kinds of berries back there...oh, the luxury of being able to walk out our door and pick our own blueberries, strawberries and raspberries!  that is, IF they all grow and bear fruit  :)
~ these pictures of Tobin, taken during our trip to Kings Dominion for their Homeschool Day