This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.
Getting Together With an Old Friend
Last Friday, on a most beautiful day, I got together with Doree, a friend I have known since grade school. Over the years, we had lost touch with each other, but thanks to Facebook, we reconnected a year so ago. As we both live within driving distance of each other, we decided it would be good to get together now and again.
And so we have. Usually, we meet at Barnes & Noble for tea and talk, but last Friday we went to Sully’s Tavern in downtown Winthrop. We both had something a little peppier than tea: pineapple and rum drinks, fries, and a delicious dessert of bananas with a salted caramel sauce.
Even without tea, there was still plenty of talk. How good it is to have a friend who has known me since childhood. Growing up in a small rural community in central Maine, we have so much shared history, and that means the world to me.
Basil
Our backyard is half sun and half shade, which means certain herbs, such as basil, don’t grow very well. But because I am a huge fan of basil, I plant it anyway, and I figure whatever I get will cost less than buying it at the grocery store.
But this year, the sun, the humidity, and the plentiful rain all came together to produce a crop that went beyond my wildest dreams.
As a result, we’ve had basil with all kinds of dishes, and I will be sorry when the frost comes—probably sometime in October—and nips one of my favorite herbs. Until then, it’s basil, basil, basil.
Our New Leaf Blower
For forty years we have lived on the edge of the woods without feeling the need for a leaf blower. Sometimes Clif has chopped up the leaves with his lawnmower; sometimes we have raked them. (Our old tar driveway fell into the latter category.)
But then came our new driveway, a crushed-granite beauty that can neither be raked nor gone over with a lawn mower. We want those little stones, which cost us plenty, to stay in our driveway.
Enter the leaf blower. We ordered one that runs on a battery, and as we Mainers might put it, the leaf blower works like a chahm. It does a good job of blowing the leaves off our driveway and into the woods, and it does an equally good job of leaving the gravel in place.
Sometimes old dogs do learn new tricks.
Thankful Posts on Other Blogs
50 Happens: Thankful Thursday (sorry, vegans)
Each week on Monday, Barbara, of Thistles and Kiwis, posts a piece featuring simple pleasures that are always a delight to read and are certainly things to be thankful for. Henceforth, Barbara’s posts will be included in my Thankful Thursday links.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Wow! Your basil looks incredible.
Sad fact: ALL basil plants hate me. Truly they do. If I dare to even walk past them, they wilt. No lie! ❤
Oh, that’s too bad! Guess you just have to buy it at the store.
You just may have opened my eyes to the benefit of a leaf blower. Once we finally bite the bullet and get a new drive, a leaf blower may be just the ticket! Oh, and pineapple and rum…count me in!
We certainly didn’t want to rake those rocks into the woods along with the leaves. The leaf blower is a great investment. Pineapple and rum are a great investment.
Great investments all round 😊
It is always good when a new tool turns out to work exactly as you want.
You bet!
What a glorious spread of basil! Do you dry some at the end of the season? I’ve read that freezing is good, too. As for the leaf-blower, the right tool for the job surely can make life not only easier, but better.
Actually, haven’t ever had enough basil to dry or freeze. This year, maybe.
Yes, the right tool for the job definitely makes life better.
May I suggest a Leaf Blower Clif series to lead us into Snow gauge Clif? He looks very elegant as he wields it.
Excellent idea!
🙂
I, too, had a superb crop of basil this year, but it recently started dropping leaves, I thought from the cool nights, but it was downy mildew. 😱 I pulled them, grabbed up every leaf and bagged it to take to the dump. That is bad juju in a garden!
Well darn that downy mildew!
Thank you so much Laurie for your kind words and mention. The basil looks magnificent and isn’t it wonderful to meet up with an old friend and pick up the conversation from last time?
My pleasure! Always look forward to your simple pleasures blog. Definitely a kindred spirit to Thankful Thursdays.
The basil is magnificent. Still can’t get over it.
Wonderful to meet up with an old friend.
I am enjoying your Thankful Thursdays!
Thanks so much!
Isn’t it lovely to meet up with old friends…..especially if you were at school together.
Oh the wonders of getting a leaf blower! It makes such a difference.
Your house looks very pretty and snug amongst the trees, and far away from the noisy city life.
PS I did comment on your electric car, but a bit late I’m afraid. I want to say congratulations on getting an electric car, and thank you for giving more details, about the car. Unfortunately still a bit out of our price range, but we will get there.
So lovely to get together with an old friend.
We really like the electric car, but they are very expensive. Hope they soon come down in price so that more people can afford them.
Another uplifting post! I will try to grow basil again when the weather warms up – it is a favourite herb.
Thanks, Anne! Good luck with the basil.
So lovely to meet up with an old friend Laurie and your basil crop looks amazing, I can smell the aroma from here! 💚 xxx
Sure was! Basil has such a lovely smell (and taste!).
I grew basil for the first time this year, and, despite my horticultural incompetence, it did brilliantly. Sadly the same can’t be said for the tomatoes.
Isn’t it great to meet up with old friends. Last week we had lunch with a former colleague who I’ve not spoken to for at least a couple of decades. It was wonderful to catch up, and the lunch was a bonus tasty treat. Definitely an afternoon well spent.
My tomatoes didn’t do particularly well, either. Sigh. Can’t win them all. I guess.
Yes, it was wonderful to get together with Doree.
I’m a little envious of your flourishing patch of basil! It never seems to thrive here, but how lovely to see your bumper crop this year!
Basil likes heat, sun, and just the right amount of sun.
A lovely collection Laurie. We used to have a blower for our gravel paths but whilst my husband was ill the paths got neglected and are now grass! Some plants have loved the unusual weather – I’m glad one you really enjoy did well. As to friends I would have been in real trouble without them over the last 6 weeks. I am very thankful for them, that my cast came off on Tuesday and that both my children managed to visit this week- they rarely manage to be here at the same time.
Grass paths are lovely. It’s wonderful that you had so much help over the last six weeks. And what a treat to have both children visit at the same time.
tainly was!
I’m so pleased about your basil and Clif’s leaf blower
Both things to be thankful for, that’s for sure.
Thanks for linking to my post, Laurie. You got me with that banana and salted caramel dessert. Yum! And how great to have a childhood friend to share it with. Facebook has its benefits. Finding old friends is certainly one of the best ones.
Yes, yes! And blogging with WordPress has been a wonderful addition to my life.
Although my use of Facebook is sparse, it has done a great job of reconnecting people. After all, if it wasn’t for FB, you may not have had that wonderful drink and dessert!
The basil looks great. (Ours has struggled this year). I was counting on it for a September batch of Basilcello. Meanwhile, going into leaf season is a good time for a new leaf blower.
You bet! Although I know it has its dark side, for me the Internet has been a blessing where I can reconnect with old friends and make wonderful new friends through blogging.
Basilcello sound so good!
Meeting up with an old friend you’ve known for so long must be great. Hopefully, I will meet up with an old friend in the UK when we return for a short visit. We will see.
Your basil looks amazing. Can you grow them in a pot indoors to see you through the winter?
The leaf blower made me smile. Will you collect and compost the leaves?
So great to get together with Doree.Hope you can get together with your friend when you visit the UK.
The leaves from the driveway will just be blown into the woods, where they will eventually compound. Getting lazy in my old age. 😉
Basil is a wonderful thing for which to be thankful! I had a great crop of basil going as well, until the Japanese beetles found it! I put out traps, not too close of course, and finally got it under control. The basil is recovering, but not nearly as nice as it was.
We had some damage from Japanese beetles, but not too bad. Glad your basil is recovering.
Having made the mistake of shoveling a gravel driveway, I wondered what you all would do. It looks like a great solution! This is the second year we have planted basil and it hasn’t disappointed. Which reminds me; I need to go harvest some more today. Pesto pizza sounds mighty good right now!
Thank goodness for the Internet. A quick check led us to the leaf blower.
Pesto pizza sounds delicious.
Lots to be thankful for, Laurie! I love how you reconnected to a childhood friend … and found such a grand solution to the leaf problem. And wow, what a crop of basil! Here are suggestions for how to preserve it into the winter — https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/how-to-preserve-basil
Yes, lots to be thankful for. Thanks for the link. I will keep this in mind.
NIce driveway! I am not a fan of leaf blowers, but I can see it has a place in your household.
Glad you had a good time with your friend. Reminds me I need to check on a high-school friend I haven’t heard from in awhile.
Not a fan of leaf blowers either, but when it came to the driveway, needs must. Didn’t want to rake off that top layer of little stones.
There’s nothing like connecting with a childhood friend. Definitely something to be thankful for.
Absolutely@
It is truly wonderful in a special way to spend time with childhood friends. Or even talk to them on the phone, or interact on Facebook. The outing with your friend looks wonderful and delicious 🙂
Your basil is amazing. Mine did OK this year, but yours is amazing. Basil do very well in the freezer if you want to preserve your crop a few more months. Chop it up in small pieces and freeze it in bags, or covered in your favourite oil/water in ice-cube trays. I often use ice-cube trays for herbs, it is so easy to take one cube and put it in the dish you’re cooking.
Thanks for the tip! I think I just might have enough basil to freeze some.
While any chance to go to Barnes & Noble is at the top of my list, I would definitely pass it up for your delicious lunch and drinks!!! That’s wonderful you’ve reconnected with a childhood friend and make keeping in touch for tea or lunch a priority. Prior to hurting my back I used a Backpack Leaf Blower, but I can tell you I am also thankful for changing to the much lighter battery leaf blower and very thankful the batteries run out about at the same time as my back.🙂
Our little battery-powered leaf blower is a wonder. One charge won’t do the whole driveway, but fortunately we have other batteries we can pop in.
How fun to get together with an old grade-school friend, Laurie. I love basil too and can’t grow it here, so I’m jealous of your crop. Be sure to pick and dry some before the frost wipes it out. And congrats on the new leaf blower! 😀
Thank you, thank you! Yes, I plan to harvest whatever basil is left before the frost gets it.
🙂 I’m envious! Lol
I have a favourite basil – African blue. It might be tricky to get, but once you have it, you can root it from stem cuttings and pass it along. It is not ideal for cooking, but has amazing flowers that attract pollinators.
Attracting pollinators is always a good thing.
Basil will do well in pots, and will grow indoors. I had one cat who liked it though, and wanted to eat it. 🙂
It is wonderful to have a childhood friend! I have one, too. We have known each other since 1965. We live on opposite sides of the country now, but she still lives in the same house across the street from where i grew up.
Our house by the edge of the woods doesn’t get enough interior light for basil. Unfortunately. Those kitties can be a little bratty. 🙂
Yes, lovely to have a childhood friend. I’ve known Doree since the late 60s.
My mouth is watering at the site of those fries. I’ve never met a potato that I didn’t like. I’m glad you reconnected with your friend, Laurie, and that you’re able to see each other from time to time. Congratulations on the basil windfall. I haven’t grown in for a few years, but I’m happy when I do.
As for the leaf blower, you’ll never look back. I follow an amazing DIY blogger and she introduced her readers to the Ryobi battery-operated and light weight leaf blower…to clean the floor of her garage! It wouldn’t have dawned on me. It’s great for getting things out of corners releasing the dust from the hard-to-sweep floor mats, and for clearing the patio and deck. Thanks for another great list of gratitude.
I am the same way when it comes to potatoes. Bring them on!
Oh, we are enjoying the basil.
Wow, lots can be done with a leaf blower! So far we’ve just used it to clean the driveway, but you’ve given me the idea of using it on my patio to blow away some of the leaves.
I’ve used mine to blow dust and debris off the patio cushions, the outdoor table, and anywhere else debris and dust gather. It’s quick and efficient.