Ten Things of Thankful

ai midjourney image of geese and an old woman

1 and 2: Thankful that a few squash grew large enough to make Swedish-style (although Peder will say they’re Danish-style) pickles. These squash should be the size of a man’s shoe, but the heat and drought have reduced their size by half. I am thankful for what the summer gave us, and I’ll kick myself when I feel the urge to complain.

3: Thankful to share a bountiful crop of grapes with the birds and the squirrels — and my husband.

4: If I ever publish “The Old Woman With No Cat” this image, which I created using Midjourney, will be the book’s cover. It makes me laugh every time I look at it.

I have over 200 short little stories on my blog that post every Sunday, so perhaps this winter I’ll polished them up, and turn them into a book.

I’m thankful for what makes me laugh, and what keeps my brain busy.

5: The UK Government sent out *Severe Fire Risk Alerts* to everyone with a mobile phone. I’m thankful they did, even though some people were thoroughly miffed by the intrusion, because there are some people out there stupid enough to light a bonfire or set off fireworks, and set the countryside on fire.

6: I am thankful for spiders and their amazing webs which catch mosquitoes.

In Sussex, we call this beauty a Bishop Spider because of the cross on its back (or maybe it’s its belly), but elsewhere it’s called an Orb Spider.

7: Nearing the end of the homegrown tomato season in the greenhouse. The extreme heat and drought means the growing season was shorter than usual. I am thankful for a harvest of very sweet fruit.

8: Thankful to a friend who suggested adding dried oregano to the tomatoes that I roasted in the oven.

It was delicious.

9: I am thankful to Denise for hosting the Six Sentence Story prompts each week, and I encourage anyone with a story to tell to join in.

Mine is a mystery: Dead Men Don’t Drown

Wally Dog ceramic Staffordshire dogs in the window of an English house

10: Finally a bit of rain. Light rain, but it’s liquid and it’s making puddles. The birds love it. They are queueing up for a bath. Proper English birds, knowing how to queue. Nice

Thankful for the rain.

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Welcome to TToT (Ten Things of Thankful) blog hop! Join bloggers from all over the world as we come together to share those things that we are thankful for. Ten is in the name, but no one is counting; feel free to link up no matter how many (or few) you can list. Make sure to go read and comment on the posts, too. The TToT has always been big on making this a friendly community, and getting to know each other through posts and comments is a huge part of that. We’re thankful for you!

Thanks also to those who help get the word out about this blog hop, especially our Board of Co-Hostinae: MimiKristiLisaDyanne, Denise,  Misky,  cai , Knit Cat  and. Andrew

©Misky 2006-2026.


19 responses to “Ten Things of Thankful”

  1. Four of course! That excellent cat… and a book soon – wonderful 🐈‍⬛

    Liked by 1 person

    1. “Soon” is probably not feasible — revision; editing; etc etc, but it is something I think I’ll do in the future.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. A great ten Misky.
    4. made me smile too
    5. any type of disaster warning is appreciated by me
    6. fabulous spider
    8. tomatoes I also have basil, salt and olive oil. Refrigerate for 2 weeks. I then use them in pasta sauces.
    10. All rain is gratefully accepted when in drought

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 8. Fresh basil or dried? If fresh, don’t the leaves turn black?

      Liked by 1 person

        1. I’ll try this. 🥰

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Let me know how it turns out. Oven at about 180C, Gas Mark 3?

            Liked by 1 person

  3. we have not had much rain here in Ireland, lately! A sprinkle here and there but nothing substantial! I’m glad your roasted tomatos turned out good and the squash too!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Just a wee bit yesterday morning, a few drops with thunder today, but nothing to make much difference, sadly.

      Like

  4. “Proper English birds” hahaha… The tomatoes and squash look tasty. The spider is cute, I always thought they are cute… I also love the cover you have created… It would look very good on my bookshelf…

    take care of yourself and hopefully there will be no fires.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We apparently are being prepared for another heatwave sometime in September so we’ll see how we manage through that one. For now, the fires are out and things have settled down a bit. Hope your week is excellent, Reelika.

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  5. here (in Southern New England) we’ve been having a continued spell of rain, so perhaps it’s headed your way to add to your needed replenishment.

    surely with the winter’s ‘Stay indoors!’ climate, the book project will be a welcome diversion.

    have an excellent week

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Most of the weather carried on the jet stream heads across the middle of the UK. Here in the SE corner, we are surprisingly dry. El Niño might change that this autumn though.

      All the best for your week, too.

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  6. I know you have relished the rain as much as the birds and plants and hope you get more.

    Your lists always keep me smiling.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad that they give you a smile, Mimi. It makes it fun to write knowing that it brings joy.

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  7. #4 YES, YES, YES!!!!!#8 I feel you Chef Marilyn! When I opened a restaurant (for a scant 6 months), the first thing I did each morning was to roll cherry tomatoes in a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and oregano and place in the bottom of a cool oven to slow cook… The reason I closed so soon was that it rained all Summer, so no villagers for afternoon tea, no cyclists, no walkers – no parking for the evening customers and a big gastro pub opened at the same time – its an old story, sigh – but I loved every moment of it…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There’s something deeply sad about a community shop closing, in my opinion. Our village bakery just closed after only two years; can’t compete with the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s. We bake our own nordic-style rye bread, but always bought speciality bread and pastries at the local shop, but not enough people were willing to pay a few pennies more to support a neighbourhood bakery.

      And I had no idea that cookery was another of your talents, Andrew. (big smile)

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  8. I am glad to hear the rain has finally arrived. Beautiful photos of those grapes and that orb spider!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We need more rain, that’s for sure. The spider is a beauty, eh? Hope your week is lovely.

      Liked by 1 person

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