Oats N Boats ~ Smile & Glow

November… the month of fall weather, soups, and reflection. A time to think about the things we are thankful for in our lives. It could be little things (check out Savvy Julie’s Little Things) or the big picture. I find it helpful to look at the little things – particularly those which start as complaints but which can be turned around.

I’m 35 weeks pregnant and in the past week I’ve become pregnant. I’ve been so fortunate to have an easy pregnancy, with very little to complain about. It wasn’t even until I was about 30 weeks that I started to have some heartburn – and even then it was fairly infrequent. It’s just in the past week or two that things are becoming more difficult – turning over in bed (it’s not the belly, but the hips that are unhappy), regular heartburn, more fatigue – the normal pregnancy complaints. I have two choices – I can be unhappy and complain (which I’ll admit I’ve done some of ), or I can remind myself of how lucky I’ve been throughout this pregnancy. How thankful I am to be pregnant and to be carrying this baby inside me. A baby who I will get to meet next month. A baby who will change the rest of my life. For that I am thankful, and the day-to-day annoyances (which are still minor compared to what I’ve heard some of my friends go through) are just a part of the process.

I am also thankful for my animals. My fluffy companions who follow me around and take naps with me when I nap, who sit with me on the couch when I post up there. It’s not uncommon for at least three of the four of them to be within 10 feet of me at any given time. I love my animals and am thankful for their unconditional love. And their cuteness… so much cuteness (even the one who is looking at me wondering if it’s time for “second breakfast” which he never gets but always hopes for).

Yes, according to the calendar Spring has a few more weeks to make its appearance, but here in my neck of the world, Spring is here. After last week’s rainstorm, flowers just appeared on the trees overnight. Biking to work I bike through clouds of pink petals and white puffs. During a lunchtime walk the ground is still damp from the recent rainfall, but the air is filled with the scent of flowers and new life. It provides the perfect break in my day and I’m reinvigorated for the afternoon.

Curled up with a mug of tea, I sit on my brother’s couch watching the snow fall outside. A white blanket carpets the city as the world goes by. Only used to winter rain storms, I marvel at the quietness of the snow. The wind is blowing, the snow is landing, and yet no noise is created. Such a strong contrast to the pattering of rain drops on the roof that I’m used to. It’s beautiful in its own right.

For most this is the umpteenth snow of the season, old hat. For me, this is a magical thing to watch, a chance of discovery for one who is unfamiliar with this white powder. I walk through the freezing rain, learning how freezing rain bounces off my jacket, and hits my face. It turns into snow just as I arrive at the house – a soft gentle structure, no more bouncing of frozen ice, instead a structure of thin ice crystals. I watch a man scrape the snow off his car, and marvel at the tool designed specifically to be both a brush and a scraper. He’s most likely frustrated that he has to take the time to do this, I however love learning about this process, seeing the steps he has to take. I start to realize why there are snow shovels not only on front porches but also in the trunks of cars. Two birds fly in seeking cover, they find refuge by the side of the garage. They nest in a pile of leaves – they’re here to stay for a bit.

Today I walked through a cold winter morning, came back through freezing rain, and saw it change into gentle snow. For that I am grateful.

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On this very foggy Friday, with mist so think I wonder why I even bothered to dry my hair (oh wait, I didn’t!), my brain started wandering…

I contemplate the micro-beads of water peppering my face and wonder what the difference between mist and fog and a light rain is… and then laugh about how this is like a mini-facial.

I wonder how fog gets this thick and then wish I were back at home, curled up in my bed, with a wonderful book and a steaming cup of tea.

And then I get to work, make a cup of mint tea, inhale deeply, and just relax. Foggy days and mint tea make for a cozy day.

Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Like when you wake up to a cold room, only to glance over and see your cat stretched out over the entire heating vent. She looks up as to say “What?” You go with the only reasonable solution – carrying her about as your own personal heater.

Like when your 55 lb dog has shoved himself so far underneath the bed that he can’t easily get out… only to have the cat flounce by him… How can you help but laugh at the hilarious process the follows as he tries to army crawl his way out from under the bed.

And when that same dog comes in from the backyard with a leaf stuck to his elbow. I suppose I could have taken it off for him, but instead, it was so much better to watch him try and get it. Exactly like watching a person trying to lick their elbow.

Oh, and I might currently be laughing because our other dog, who normally sleeps on the couch, has currently shoved himself so far under the bed that he’s not visible. Perhaps he’s a stowaway. He might have half a chance at staying hidden if it weren’t for the fact that he’s chewing away on a nylabone… he needs to take some lessons from the cats on being stealthy and quiet.

What’s the craziest/weirdest/wackiest/most laugh worthy thing your animals have done?