Sunday Gratitude – 21.XII.2025

There’s something a little comforting about the fact that I can still take a tumble from a bike without being seriously injured. Yes, I took the bike out this week. Yes, multiple times. The roads are basically clear, and with temperatures occasionally getting over freezing, we’re good to go. The issue, though, is not the roads, but the trails. The trails and park roads still have a good deal of snow on them, and worse than that, ice. I have a bike that does well in snow with its heaviness (over 50lbs) and its 2″ wide tires, but when there’s no traction at all, it still can’t handle it. The funny thing, I suppose, is that the bike just kind of tips horizontally, and I come sliding off. And… I managed to do this twice this week. I’m a little sore, I suppose, but not injured, and both times, I was simply able to walk the bike further to where the ice wasn’t as bad and keep going. At some point, I suppose, it won’t be an option, but sometimes I can still imagine I am young. In the meantime, though, I am grateful that I didn’t end up getting seriously injured.

Last night, the quietness of the house was really getting to me, and I just had the feeling that I needed to talk to a certain friend of mine to feel better. He had a little time, and we talked, and I think it helped.

I am thankful that a couple of little things with time deadlines got remembered and got done before “consequences”.

The last week has included a lot of running around due to appointments and such, and I’m grateful all of that worked out without any great issue.

I am thankful to have been able to get the outdoor lights out. The little girls mentioned that they missed them, so I really wanted to make a point of getting them out, but with the weather and the snow, I wasn’t sure that the things with stakes in the ground could be used. However, with a couple of days with warmer temperatures, and much snow melting, the stakes could be set up. Also, I managed to accidentally put out the one string of lights that is having an issue of about 20 lights in one section not work. Last year, I went through to put a replacement in every socket to try to fix this, to no avail (which is part of the reason the outside lights didn’t get put up), but luckily, due to where they are set up now, it’s not noticeable.

I am also so grateful that we’re at the end of shorter days, and that by the time the kids need ferried to school again, it should be at least a little bit noticeable in the morning that the days are getting longer again.

Thank you dear friends, for being here; I am always grateful for you.

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