Three Things Thursday is a  weekly tribute to being grateful for the good things in life. This tradition was  started by Emily of Nerd in the Brain and is currently hosted by Natalie of There She Goes.

This week I have a rather odd assortment of good things to be thankful for. But truly, I am grateful for all three, which in ways great and small, make my life better.

First, National Public Radio or NPR, as it’s known. Truly, I don’t know what I would do without this wonderful broadcast service. From Morning Edition to On Point to All Things Considered (and lots in between!), NPR is my lifeline to the broader world. This morning, as I did quiet tasks, I listened to Former FBI Director James Comey  testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Comey spoke about Trump and the Russia Investigation and why he was fired by Trump. Comey even called Trump a liar. Whatever your political affiliation, this was one historic day, and I was grateful to be there with NPR.

Second, York Hospital, where I recently had my yearly mammogram. Here is the logo that states their mission, and this hospital isn’t just paying lip service to the notion of Loving Kindness.

From the moment I walked into York Hospital, there was a feeling of calm and tranquility, no small feat for a hospital. The staff is incredible, warm and caring. Best of all, I got the results of my mammogram before I left. They don’t let you fret about the results, which is a huge kindness. I have a friend who has had surgery at York Hospital, and she had glowing things to say about her overnight stay. (They even offered her a lobster roll for supper.) Never, ever, have I encountered a hospital like this.  It is a gem.  And here’s a big, big bonus: Seven years of being cancer free!

Third, and this is really another nod to my wee herb garden, scrambled eggs with herb and cheese. This oh-so-simple dish elevates humble scrambled eggs to a dish eagerly anticipated for supper. For Clif and me, I use five eggs beaten with five tablespoons of milk. I melt butter in my cast-iron skillet, and when the butter is melted I pour in the egg mixture. I sprinkle about three tablespoons of fresh, chopped herbs over the eggs as well as some salt and pepper. I stir it slightly, let it set as it cooks, and stir it some more, all the while keeping the heat high enough so the eggs cook but low enough so that the bottom doesn’t get too brown. When the eggs are solid but still a little shiny, I sprinkle about 3/4 cup of shredded cheese on top, turn the heat to low, and cover. In a minute or two, the cheese is melted. Add whole-grain toast and a side of apple sauce, and you have yourself a pretty good meal.

Three Things Thursday is a  weekly tribute to being grateful for the good things in life. This tradition was  started by Emily of Nerd in the Brain and is currently hosted by Natalie of There She Goes. 

First and foremost, a big thank you to Jan of the wonderfully creative blog The Snail of Happiness. Not only does her blog inspire me, but in her current Three Things Thursday, Jan expressed gratitude for receiving  in the mail—ta-dah!—Maya and the Book of Everything.  Jan, thanks so very much for the shout-out!

Second, raindrops on flowers. Roses aren’t the only flowers enhanced by raindrops.

Note to readers: From now through September, flowers will most likely figure in my Three Things Thursday posts. As I’ve mentioned previously, I am a fool for flowers.

Third, my wee herb garden. It is small but mighty, and oh, how it produces. Sage, oregano, mint, and thyme have wintered over and are now growing in abundance. What to do, what to do?

Well, I made a macaroni herb salad, a simple dish that can be adapted to whatever you have kicking around  your refrigerator or freezer. I cooked two cups of macaroni, mixed in a liberal amount of olive oil, three tablespoons of mixed chopped herbs (next time I will use more), salt, pepper, and many squeezes of half a lemon. Then came cubed chicken, crumbled feta, and chopped tomatoes. I also used a clove of roasted garlic. Next time I will skip the garlic as it tends to overpower the delicate taste of the herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil. What else could you add? Sliced red peppers, olives, carrots, celery, any kind of green. Chickpeas. Roasted walnuts. The list is long.

Stay tuned for more recipes using herbs.

So much to be grateful for.

Oh, the lovely month of May! Even when the day is cloudy, the landscape is positively aglow with new green, bright yellow, and the froth of flowering trees. In May, it is not too hard to find three things to be grateful for in my Three Things Thursday Post.

At the risk of being redundant, this week all my gratitude will be lavished on flowers. Full disclosure: I am a fool for flowers, and this might happen again in another Three Things Thursday post.

First, the Solomon’s seal I bought at Fernwood Nursery in Montville. How dainty yet mysterious the flowers are. Long may this plant  thrive!

Second, the brilliant purple of this iris. Jason, of Garden in a City, has his tulips. I have my irises. They are my favorite flower, bar none.

Third, begonias.  While I can’t honestly say they are one of my favorites, begonias are one of the few annuals that thrive at the little house in the big woods. From May through October, begonias bring a welcome splash of color to all the lovely green we have here. And for that I am very grateful.

And, for an added bonus, there is a fourth flower. A weed actually. But how bright and yellow it is. And a closer look reveals the various shapes and twists of the flower..

So there! Four things for Thursday.

Readers, may you find many things to be grateful for.

Once again it is Thursday—funny how they roll around every week—where I list three things I am oh so grateful for. Hence the title, Three Things Thursday.

For this week’s post, my gratitude can be summed up in two words: Forage Market. Add Lewiston, Maine, to this and the gratitude slips into astonishment. A little while ago, I wrote about Forage Market and how their bagels were so good it was almost beyond comprehension, especially for a gritty little city like Lewiston.

However, upon my first visit, I had ordered a bagel sandwich, and I had decided that to really taste the bagel, I would need to order one with just a smear of butter and no other ingredients. This meant a return trip—all in the interest of research, you understand—and last Friday Clif, Mary Jane, and I went back to Forage Market, where I had a sesame bagel with butter and nothing else.

And how was it? Good enough to go on my Three Things Thursday post.

So here is the first thing: A buttered bagel from Forage Market—loaded with sesame seeds, crunchy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. And as if that weren’t enough, the tea is really good, too. (Not a given in Maine restaurants, which fuss over coffee but think nothing of providing a Lipton tea bag to tea drinkers.)

Second, a croissant: As I was ordering my bagel at Forage Market, I glanced at the glass case beside me and saw some croissants. Should I get one to split between Clif, Mary Jane, and me? I am sorry to report that in central Maine, I have been unable to find anything that remotely resembles a good croissant, which should be crunchy on the outside and flaky with butter on the inside. Oh, what the heck, I thought. Just get the darned thing.

Readers, I almost wept with joy when I tasted this croissant, which was everything a croissant should be. Clif and Mary Jane concurred, and Mary Jane said that next time she goes to Forage, she will get a croissant sandwich.

Third, but most important: The master bakers at Forage Market. None of these amazing baked delicacies would be possible without the skill and dedication of the bakers, who truly are masters of their craft.  Clif took a picture of one of the bakers, but unfortunately he did not get the baker’s name. Clif did learn that there is another baker who specializes in making croissants. Oh, happy, happy day! Also note the fireplace to the right of the baker and the black doors above. This is the wood-fired oven where all the delectable items are baked.

Clif and I have decided that we would be fools not to go to a bakery of this caliber on a regular basis. Forage truly is a first-rate bakery, not only for Maine but also for anywhere else.

A couple of the blogs I follow have a lovely tradition called “Three Things Thursday,” where the writers list three things each week they are particularly grateful for. I have decided to follow this practice.  Being grateful for the many blessings in life seems like a good thing to do during a time when there is much to be anxious about.

First, I am ever so grateful for my hyacinths: They are the first blooms in my garden, and this makes them most welcome. Planted over thirty years ago by mother-in-law, the hyacinths are not prolific, but they are faithful, coming up year after year. And, oh, how wonderful those flowers smell.

Second, ginger nuts: This one particularly tickles my fancy. I first came across ginger nuts in the beloved Miss Read series, books set in English villages in the 1950s and 1960s. The stories revolve around the eponymous Miss Read, a teacher in a small rural school. Ginger nuts, a biscuit— or a cookie, as we call them across the pond— are a treat often served with tea.

Now, I’m sure my English blogging friends are scratching their heads over my enthusiasm for what must be a common store-bought cookie in England. But I can’t help it. The name sounds so darned cute. And I couldn’t help but wonder, just what are ginger nuts anyway?

Imagine my thrill, then, when I actually came upon McVitie’s Ginger Nuts at a local store. Quick as can be, I grabbed them, and as soon as I got home, I opened the package and sampled a cookie—or rather, a biscuit. Actually, they turned out to be what I suspected—what we Americans call gingersnaps. But very tasty McVitie’s Ginger Nuts are, with a satisfying crunch and a little zing. As I nibbled my biscuit, I imagined I was in the English countryside, so lovely and green with its sheep and hedgerows and cottages.

Third, Maine, At Last—Lovin’ by MsMomA (aka Burndett Andres): I first met Burndett (Burni) Andres over ten years ago, when Clif and I were publishing Wolf Moon Journal, a small literary magazine. Burni submitted a piece—about Thoreau’s Maine journey, I think—and I was taken by her lively style and the wonderful narrative flow of her writing. When she started publishing an online newsletter, the Narraguagus News, I became a devoted reader. In the newsletter, Burni chronicles everyday life in Cherryfield, a small town in Down East Maine.

Over the years, Burni has published a series of books comprising pieces from her newsletter. She has called this series Maine, At Last, and I have had the good fortune of reading her latest book, Volume 10,  about everyday happenings in Cherryfield, Maine.

Maine, At Last—Lovin’ has the same lively style and wonderful narrative flow that I discovered in the first piece Burni sent me. In addition, there is a joy of life that ripples through the book. Here is what might be Burni’s coda: “Although I don’t feel called to do great things, I do feel called to do small things with great love and I like to think that comes through in my writing…” It most certainly does, and if the world followed Burni’s example, it would be a better place.

Finally, she writes movingly about her beloved partner Ralph and his struggles with Parkinson’s disease. Some of these descriptions actually brought tears to my eyes.

Hyacinths, ginger nuts, and a lively yet moving book. So much to be grateful for.

A busy day so no pictures. Just a very short post to express my gratitude that France, the land of my ancestors, dodged the right-wing bullet and rejected Marine Le Pen. Instead, they elected, by a wide margin, Emmanuel Macron, an enlightened Buddha compared with the xenophobic Le Pen.

Vive la France!

And for more about Sunday’s election, read Adam Nossiter’s excellent piece in the New York Times.

A couple of the blogs I follow have a lovely tradition called “Three Things Thursday,” where the writers list three things each week they are particularly grateful for. For a while, I’ve been wanting to do this on my blog each Thursday, and now that glorious spring is here, it seemed like the perfect time to get started.

A quick aside: With all the busyness of life, with the worry and the various stresses—especially with the political situation—taking the time to be grateful for what I have seems almost like a form of prayer. Or a meditation, if you will. While I certainly don’t want to look away from all that is happening in the world, I do think that spreading a bit of gratitude, near and far, is a very good thing.

So here is what I’m grateful for this week:

First—My Clothesline: I know, I know. I go on like a silly person about hanging laundry outside. But I do so love it.  To me, laundry flapping on the line is a lovely sight. The sun and the wind are drying my clothes, with no gas or electricity required. Just a bit of energy on my part, which, for some reason, I never mind expending on this chore.  Then there is the smell when the laundry comes in—fresh, almost intoxicating, sheer bliss.

Second—The Emerging Ferns: That curl of green, the gradual unfurling. With ferns, there are no buds or blossoms, but what a sweet sight when each spring they push their way through the brown leaves.

Third—My Backyard: Tucked in the woods, my backyard is a second living room when the weather is warm. Birds come to the feeders, and the yard is full of birdsong. Our patio is a place where Clif and I relax during the summer. Family and friends come over for Clif’s legendary grilled bread, and we eat, talk, and laugh. I’ll serve simple salads or grilled chicken to go with the bread. Homemade ice cream for dessert. Or we’ll just have appetizers and bread. Whatever. When we are on the patio, life is good.

And, as a bonus, for sheer geeky fun on this Thursday, May the Fourth be with you!