I Am Grateful

Today I stayed home to work on my homework for tonight's class, and to do some house cleaning too. About 10am I figured I better get the bags of recycling down to the road. The truck usually doesn't get here until 1 or 2 pm, but good to have it out early, just in case. Having 6 bag fulls of it (missed last week and have been busy here), and some pretty heavy, I put them onto the hood of my truck and drove them down. On my way down the hill, what I thought to be the recycle truck made a pick up at one of my neighbors and drove right by my driveway, the guy looked right at me and just kept driving. So, I figured I missed them again this week. I couldn't back up the hill, even in 4 wheel drive, low range, due to the ice on my driveway and the steepness of the hill, so I had to drive out onto the highway and turn around to drive up frontwards. Two bags fell off so I had to get out and pick them up, then heading up the hill one bag fell. I took the 5 up and put them into the carport, then went back down for the one. I fell due to the icy hill, and both times I was not totally sure I'd get up even frontwards. I couldn't help but wonder what the neighbors would be thinking if they saw all this, lol. So, all 6 bags back in the carport, I came into the house. It was very cold and windy out so I was glad to be back in. I did a bit of work in here, then went to the laundry room to put a load of wash in. I happened to look out the window and saw 2 neighbors had their recycling out!! These bags hadn't been out when I was down the hill. Did they miss the pick up too? Or was that actually a garbage truck that was here earlier? I did a meditation, wrote a poem, and looked again as i put the laundry into the dryer. Yup, bags were still out there. Out I went again and loaded the 6 bags back onto the hood of my truck, backed up to turn and go down front first only to have a bag fall off. I slid on the ice and almost ended up in the snow bank, but got turned and headed down, dragging the fallen bag under the truck. At the bottom of the hill, I get all 6 bags into place, drove out onto the highway to turn around, and headed back up the hill. Later on when I looked out the living room window, my recycling was all gone. YES!! A new bag already is started. The laminate flooring comes in cardboard boxes, so that is a large part of what is going into the blue recycle bags, and I am working at getting my home de-cluttered and cleaned up, so that makes for lots going out too. Between the compost and the recycling, I don't have much garbage to worry about, so I take it to the dump myself when needed, rather than pay for pick-up that I don't need.

As the day progressed, I got some more cleaning done in the house. I also got most of my homework done for class tonight. All afternoon I was dreading going to class. I love going, so can only think it was due to not having my homework done, but I did finally get it complete and was off. I got into the truck then called the Centre to let them know I was on my way, though I was going to be late. (I'd laid down too long with my back hurting after the fall I'd taken earlier). When I talked to Dale, he said Don was not going to be there, though Bev & Phyllis already were. When he found out I was still in my yard, he told the gals I was, but willing to come, so did they want to have the class or not. They decided to cancel the class tonight. Bev lives a half hour or more drive out of town, she works in town so usually no big deal to stay in late, though in the middle of a storm felt better about going home early before the snow got any worse. (See the weather post for more on that topic.) I was relieved to have it canceled, and to come back in the house. We will still do this class, but now we will go one week longer. All's good.

I did a bit more tidying up, watched TV, chatted on the phone a bit, wrote my Three Word Thursday post early, and while I was in the other room Reba used the computer and tells me she wrote a Three Woof Thursday post. She's quite the dog, this one.

I also read a bit from War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It's a classic book that I recently got in a second hand store for $1.50!! (That's about $1.19 US). I have a speech to do at Toastmasters in 2 weeks and one choice I have from the manuals I am working with, is to read a dramatic reading. This can be a big challenge, especially for me as I am not the greatest reader, especially out loud. However, never one to back down from a challenge, I often read things out loud for the congregation on Sundays, and I am considering reading from this book. I can write & preform a speech, or do this reading... either way, it's for 10 to 12 minutes, and either way, it will take lots of practice before hand in order to do a good job of it.

- I am grateful I got my homework done for class.
- I am grateful class was postponed tonight and I got to stay home, off the roads.
- I am grateful my friend Bev got to go home early, before roads got worse.
- I am grateful for the work I am doing in my home, for the progress I am making at getting things in better order here.
- I am grateful for how much nicer my floors are to clean now, and how much better they look than the old flooring did.
- I am grateful I got my recycling out and gone.
- I am grateful for the great deal on this old book, copywrited in 1949.
- I am grateful for oportunities to grow through Toastmasters.
- I am grateful I have my Three Word Thursday post done early. It's already posted, though I think I will change the time on it so it will come after the Wednesday posts.
- I am grateful for my blog, the enjoyment I get from posting here, and for the visitors that come to see what I've posted this time.