Thanks

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

Marcel Proust

I never learned to thank people properly. I don’t know why. It’s a form of social awkwardness, I think, left over from my youth. I have never written a simple thank you note, ever. I don’t go out of my way to visit people I need to thank, or share how thankful I am to others. I often say the words but, for me, I think they often come out more as conversational convention than sincere gratitude. Along with this ineptitude comes a lot of regret. There are so many people, now gone, I wish I could have taken a little more time to express how deeply appreciative I was for their contributions, both large and small, to my life.  I can only hope that perhaps along the way they could see a twinkle of gratitude in my squinting eyes or one of my unconscious smiles. Profound gratitude dwells inside me on a daily basis; it just doesn’t come out easily. Forgive me this flaw.

In an effort to be better:

 Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my scattered thoughts on this blog. I want to especially thank Langela, Angela, Samantha and Granny Sue who take the extra time to leave cheerful and insightful comments. Without them this blog would have no value at all. The all have brilliant blogs of their own that everyone should check out.

http://westvirginiatreasures.blogspot.com/

http://iowafarmerzwife.blogspot.com/

http://chaos-dogs.blogspot.com/

http://grannysu.blogspot.com/  

Tomorrow I am going to put on my boots and personally thank everyone who helped tend my flock and my cabin while I was off playing tourist in Florida. This includes Firewood Kenny for checking on the cabin, Edgar’s son for helping me move the animals, Harry for having fresh Slim Jims and Honey Buns in stock and especially the Cattle Baron’s flannel shirt wearing daughter for suggesting the FFA to board my beasts and fowl. I may even write thank you notes, my first, to the Future Farmers of America for the work they do and to Richard and Sue who did so much for Dooley and me in Orlando.

Then, of course, there’s Irene for helping me start and maintain the blog, and Fiddlin’ Clyde Harper for all the history and backwoods wisdom he taught me and Mrs. Skeen for the potato soup last year, the women who can my vegetables for me each fall and Bette the mail carrier and….oh, lord… I have quite the backlog.

Thanks everyone!