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January 2012
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After a month-long hiatus, here’s the remainder of my thankful list. Counting one’s blessings as a new year begins feels right, so please join me as I finish up the alphabet.
“N” brings to mind our marvelous Nevada Museum of Art. I’m delighted to show it off to visitors, and eagerly await each new exhibit. What a treasure for our community. “N” also stands for needlepoint, a creative activity I’ve resumed after many years without picking up needle and yarn. An ad for kits got me started again; what a lovely way to feel productive. (You can check out the great kits available at www.ehrmantapestry.com.)
“O” can only be for orchids, especially as they’re so affordable and come in so many lovely varieties. Oranges rate high on my list of favorite fruits, and isn’t it nice they’re at their best in our winter months?
“P” brings to mind puppies and peanut butter, hardly a logical combination, but life without either would be sad, indeed.
“Q” was difficult, but then I thought of the wild Quail native to our area. I have a friend who despairs their residence in her yard - they eat all her seedlings - but they’re charming birds, especially when leading a flock of young ones.
“R” is a full letter for me with Rugby, Radio (NPR) and roses. If you’re not familiar with the rough-and-tumble game of Rugby, you can view matches on the (TV) Universal Sports Network. It’s a “real man” sport - no protective padding, no commercial interruptions during play. I depend on NPR to provide my radio news, music and comedy (try “Wait, wait, don’t tell me” Saturday morning at ten). And roses ... I prefer the older varieties for their fragrance.
“S” comes up a trio as well, with Soccer, Sparks and Senior Spectrum. As a soccer fan, I wish it took precedence over American football. I’ve been a Sparks resident for 39 years; this is a great place to live and a well managed city. Senior Spectrum gives me a column (hooray), and an abundance of useful information from many sources.
“T” is for tennis and tea. I lack the coordination to be anything other than a terrible tennis player, but I do appreciate the talent and determination it takes to be a pro in this sport. Watching the major tournaments is a favorite couch-potato activity. Tea is my beverage of choice and I’m grateful that iced tea is now standard year-round on most restaurant menus.
“U” has to be the United States of America. I feel so fortunate to be a citizen, and to enjoy all the benefits this nation provides.
“V” makes me think of Valentine’s Day, my favorite holiday, and Vancouver, British Columbia, my favorite North American city.
“W” must be water, before all else. None of us could survive without it and we’re blessed to have it available at the turn of a tap. “W” means writing as well; I’ve spent most of my adult life expressing my opinions as a writer and for that I’m very grateful.
“X”? A toughie, but Xylophone come to mind ... an interesting musical instrument. And there’s the X chromosome, of course.
“Y” means Yoga. I’ve practiced for more than forty years and find myself thankful I can still sit in full Lotus posture.
Only one letter left, and that’s “Z” - I’m thankful for Zealand (Denmark’s largest island) where I’ve had three wonderful visits.
This concludes my thankful list, but with more time and thought I’m sure I could add at least a hundred more items that bring joy and gratitude to my life. May your own list turn out to be well filled in this new year.