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 tend to 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.

This week, on the very top of the thankful list, is that our car,  a Honda Fit, passed inspection. When you have a budget as big as a minute and a fourteen-year-old car, this is no small thing.

A few months ago, we had to have the catalytic converter replaced. I barely know what a catalytic converter is, but I do know it was  expensive to replace. Still, the Fit has been a wonderful car, roomy for its size and needing few repairs. We plan to keep it as long as we can. Clif has patched some rust holes—those salted and sanded roads in the winter take their toll—and now that the Fit has passed inspection, it should be good for another year. Fingers crossed. And toes, too.

Next is an unexpected treat that came to our house on Tuesday.

Debbie Gagnon, of Maine’s famous Red’s Eats, sent the chocolate-covered strawberries as a thank you to Clif for the work he did on her book, Red’s Eats: World’s Best Lobster Shack. (Clif does book design for self-published writers, and he has a growing list of books he’s worked on.) Clif, of course, shared his strawberries with me and Dee, and my oh my, they were good. Strawberries and chocolate are a winning combination. Many, many thanks, Debbie Gagnon!

Finally, it is that corn time of year in Maine, and Mainers are absolutely crazy about fresh corn on the cob. We think it goes with anything, from spaghetti to quesadillas.

Our corn comes from our own Farmer Kev, a family friend who has an organic farm and a delivery share program, where each season, you pay a lump sum and get weeks of fresh, delicious vegetables delivered right to your doorstep. (Every week, we get to choose what we want from a seasonal list.)

Here is the snappy box the veggies come in.

And guess what was underneath the carrots, the peppers, and the summer squash? None other than corn, fresh and ready to be shucked.

We cooked it the day we got it, and how sweet it was. Holy cats, it was so unbelievably good that it almost doesn’t count as a simple pleasure.

And what is on the plate with that corn? Just happens to be a quesadilla, made with homemade refried beans.

As we Mainers would say, a wicked good combination.

Just for Fun: Speaking of a New England Accent…

Blogging friends who are Superbowl fans are probably already familiar with this commercial, but I’m guessing there are some blogging friends who haven’t seen it. And I’m also guessing that blogging friends “from away” might not know what a New England accent sounds like.

Now, the commercial below features actors and accents—albeit slightly exaggerated—from Boston. A Maine accent is somewhat different, a little softer. But man oh man, do we ever drop those Rs, and do note the use of “wicked.”

Anyway, it will give readers some idea what a Maine and New England accent sounds like. Plus it’s just plain fun to watch. Makes me smile every time.

A couple of the blogs I read—notably Cimple: A Curious Introvert’s Musing & Photos about Life and Enjoyment—have Thankful Thursday posts, where each week they list a few things they are thankful for. I really enjoy these posts and have decided to follow suit.

It hardly needs to be said—but I will say it anyways—that life is not all sweetness and light. There is much that is wrong with the world, both globally and locally.  From the climate crisis to my creaky knees, I can dwell on the negative with the best of pessimists. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong seems to come naturally to most people, who tend to 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.

I’m not advocating toxic positivity, pretending everything is hunky-dory when it isn’t. Far from it, and in other posts I will feel free to crab about things large and small. (Hot weather, I’m looking at you.) But on Thursdays, I’ll step away from that to give my thanks for the good things in my life. Like everyone else, I have my struggles, but I also have so much to be grateful for.

And this week, I have two humdingers, thanks to the generosity of our daughter Dee, who lives with us, and our neighbor Bob Smart, who lives next door.

First, our driveway. Truly, we had one of the worst driveways in our town. Long ago, it been paved, but over time it had heaved because of  underground rocks and roots. Then this year, a big truck for pumping our septic system crushed one side of our driveway into a valley.

After the truck fiasco, Dee took one look at the driveway and said, “I’ll pay for a new one.”

Clif and I, who have a budget as big as a minute, were oh so grateful.

I don’t have any pictures of the old horror of a driveway, or at least not ones I could readily find. But here is our new one, beautiful and flat and made from pea stone and gravel, one that will drain and can easily be repaired.

For days after the driveway was installed, Clif and I would stare out the window and gaze lovingly at it.

Our neighbor, Bob Smart, who owns his own construction company, Building Smart, oversaw the project, which involved moving our front steps. Unfortunately, the steps were rotten and were smashed during the process. Without charging extra, Bob rebuilt and installed the steps, and now we have brand new steps to go with our brand new driveway.

Woo-hoo! make that double woo-hoo.