Three Things...Gratitude Thread

[flyingdumbo127]

Good morning, friends

Dad and my beloved late Grandma used to enjoy Hot Dog on a Stick. I liked their fries.

When I was younger, I also sure found Popsicles and other ice cream treats on sticks tasty.

I am a dog person through and through. I thank all of you who also care for God's cats, I just admit to not being a cat fan but, of course, wish them all very well

 

[PollyannaMom]

Grateful for my furbaby:

for purrs, photo ops, and funny antics!

Foods on a stick I'm grateful for:
candied apples
Blow Pops
those big rainbow lollipops when I was a kid

And bonus combo:


Something on a stick the cat is grateful for

 

[WDWEPCOT]

You know I never thought I would be a cat person I didn’t get along with cats when I was a kid and I’ve always been a dog person and I’ve always had dogs ever since I was on my own and I could get pets myself because they really weren’t allowed when we were kids…
But my kids had other ideas we already had dogs but here I am at work and there’s always stray cats in my yard and my kids once summer decided that they were gonna take care of a stray cat that kept showing up in our yard and I said to them don’t you bring that cat in this house oh we won’t sure they won’t you know they did I come home one day from work and there’s a cat in my house how do I know because the dog is not happy and I’m like I told you not to bring that cat in this house oh but he needs to be he’s so sick and he needs our help I’m like oh my God I told you not to bring that cat in this house he’s just a kitten will come to find out he was not a kitten and the poor thing somebody had shot him and take him to the vet and that’s how I found out he wasn’t a kitten and he was just a starving cat so I get him all fixed up get the bullet out of aim treating for lead poisoning getting neutered getting them all fixed up so we now have a cat he was an interesting cat he was extremely smart he was a really sweet cat he eventually got along with a dog a little too well because they got up to all kinds of shenanigans and he was a really great cat that we had for a really long Time and sadly he got cancer and it just broke everybody’s heart when that poor cat had to be put down I could tell you a story after story of the shenanigans that he got into it with my dog those two were extremely dangerous together because you had a smart dog with a street smart cat they got into all kinds of trouble because they could get into anything because this cat could open any kind of container it was always very interesting to come home from work and see what those two had gotten into all day

Meanwhile since that cat was pretty bonded with my oldest my youngest wanted a cat so here we go we get another cat so now we have two cats did I mention I wasn’t a care person??? that cat lived for 20 years she outlived almost every pet that we had in that house except for like one she was around for every pet that we had she outlived every other cat every other dog rabbits everything and she got along with everybody when she was still there she was the sweetest cat never problem never any trouble she was just there she’d be like I’m hanging out over here don’t worry about me
Next thing you home we get another cat he did not live that long and sadly he was very sick
Yep he got replaced with another cat
That cat left when my youngest left
So in the term there was another cat that was left in the house because at all times we always had two cats and this cat had bonded with me so I have a dog I have a cat and sadly my cat got sick and I thought well he’ll just go to the vet and get some medicine like he always does and he’ll be fine but it did not work out that way I was unbelievably shocked when they told me my cat was going to die that weekend
So for the first time in over 20 years I did not have a cat and I thought I was never a camp person I was always a dog person but I found out that’s no longer true because of my kids and their love of cats had turned me into a person who liked cats
So I went on the search for a cat it was not an easy thing to find a cat my other house I had stray cats in my yard all the time but this time I cannot find a cat it took me months I finally find a cat I want I go to get the cat they’re six kittens for adoption all but one of them has been spoken for the one I want somebody is in line ahead of me so there’s one left so I thought I better snatch this one that’s left and inform me if the people don’t show up for the one that I really wanted I can have that one and I thought well I could wait for that one but I may not get it so I take the one that isn’t spoken for and I bring her home and she’s hiding she scared half to death later that afternoon they call me and say do you still want this one and I thought sure why not so now I have two cats so I have two kittens brother and a sister and I’m kind of glad I got two it took a year for all of them to get adjusted the two cats and the dog but they all get along now and the male cat and my male dog are hilarious together

So at night when I sit and watch TV my female cat will try and lay in my lap and my dog gets so upset how dare she it’s not that he wants to do it he just doesn’t want her to do it so she has to wait till he falls asleep and then she does it it’s so funny
The male cat and my dog they play ball together it’s hilarious they bat a ball back-and-forth between each other
So I never thought I would be a cat person but I do enjoy the cats each cat is different over the years I’ve had different breeds of cats and each one is different the thing I like about cats you don’t have to take him outside to go potty in the rain in the snow in the cold but you do have to keep an eye on them they get into things they get locked in closets they get into things they shouldn’t be getting into but I don’t think I’d have it any other way
So people say why do you get pets because I enjoy my pets they bring me happiness they bring me joy they bring me a companionship they bring me endless love they bring me entertainment and that you cannot put a price on besides who doesn’t want a little bit of chaos in their lives??

 

[WLWildlife]

I have 3 cats: Charlotte, Mini, and Harriet. They have 3 very different personalities.
I am greatful for:
1. Unconditional love and acceptance
2. Their quiet company
3. Their funny antics

 

[NannyBeBe]

My granddaughter and her husband, who live with me, have a lady kitty named Corvo. She's a gray tabby. She's a good cat because:
1. She has a calm nature that reminds me to remain calm also.
2. She always uses her litter box.
3. She is much easier to care for than my dogs are.
My husband really wants a Maine Coon, but they are too expensive for us.

 

[leebee]

Things on a stick:

>teriyaki- chicken, beef, shrimp
>almond shortcake ice cream bars- like the chocolate or strawberry shortcake ice cream bars, but these are almond and FAR superior, IMO!
>Ears of corn at Animal Kingdom
>Frozen bananas
>MICKEY BARS!!!

 

[citruscurtis]

Yards here are either very gravel sterile or year round over board yard decor

 

[bobbiwoz]

I’ve had two cats, and they were good ones. Candy and Snitz.

 

[citruscurtis]

And some times yards have visitors... though not the case here...his story is on the good stuff thread... anyhow...if he was in my yard... I would need this stick

 

[citruscurtis]

Marshmallow on a stick was the title of my first published Short story...story of a little boy on a Oregon Beach who couldn't catch a Frisbee, hit a wiffle ball or roast a marshmallow...so he put a marshmallow on a stick and used it as flashlight in the twilight... becoming metaphorical for myself and 4 other senior classmates weeks before graduation drawn together by our low class in the society of 70s high school... Richard Dryfeuss already in my George Lucas psyche....

and then decades later Richard appears twice more to stick it to me

 

[bluecastle]

Things on a stick
My nightly fudge bar
when I was a kid, cotton candy
Cats: all my fur friends are from the past, but they were very special to me.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Today is:

So if that's your home state or travel destination, please tell us what you're grateful for about it!

Otherwise, it's also:

so Today's Topic (Sun, 3/29) - 3 small businesses you're grateful for

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm grateful for our appliance repair guy,
the small convenience store we used to walk to for slushies when DS was little,
and the enterprising teens next door who shoveled snow in the last big storm

 

[leebee]

My sister owns a small boutique in Exeter, NH. She was in Portsmouth, with 2 shops, until the pandemic, which forced her to close. She moved to Exeter 5 years ago and has managed to keep things going. It's a struggle right now, but her shops raised a family, and kept them going when her ex-husband walked out. I'm proud of her.

The local vet-tech, who comes to the house for minor "repairs" to my cat (actually my sister's cat, we've been cat sitting since August). I have no idea how to clip a cat's claws, no tools with which to do so, and no desire to do it myself. Erin came to the house, clipped Bandit's claws, taught me how to do it (ugh, no thanks), and only charged $20. Bandit and I are both happy campers!

The local "tree-guys," although they aren't such a small business anymore. DH has always had his own small companies, and I remember the guy who owns the tree business sitting at out local favorite watering hole 10 years ago, picking DH's brain about set-up, running a business, etc. James started this company on a wing and a prayer, hired 3 of his friends to help, and they were off. Now? State-wide business, individual clients as well as contracts with towns and cities. I always smile when I drive past one of their trucks out doing a repair, driving and looking carefully to see if I know anyone either on the ground or up in the bucket. Very proud of them all, to go from a dream to such a profitable company.

 

[PollyannaMom]

The local vet-tech, who comes to the house for minor "repairs" to my cat (actually my sister's cat, we've been cat sitting since August). I have no idea how to clip a cat's claws, no tools with which to do so, and no desire to do it myself. Erin came to the house, clipped Bandit's claws, taught me how to do it (ugh, no thanks), and only charged $20. Bandit and I are both happy campers!

I need this! With the little girl cats we used to have, I could hold them while DH trimmed their nails. They'd been used to it since they were kittens, and we could do it pretty easily. Our new boy is a lot bigger and a lot spicier so I had them done when we were at the vet for another appointment. But they're due again.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

My two therapists who are contracted through an at home health agency.

Years ago, I enjoyed going to a sticker store nearby that was (and possibly still is) family owned.

 

[WLWildlife]

1. DH has 2 small businesses that provide a small income to supplement our full time jobs. He works really hard, especially this past winter. I help as needed.
2. Wilson's - a tiny mom and pop store in the middle of nowhere that had a nice penny candy selection where I could spend my .25 cent weekly allowance as a kid. It's where I discovered Sweedish fish.
3. The little corner dairy 2 blocks from Grammy's house when I was a kid. It was a small neighborhood convenience store that my brother would take me too when we would visit Grammy. I often bought a Chunky candy bar.

 

[slo]

Happy Sunday Friends

#1 - OUR SMALL BUSINESS - I say “ours” but it was really mine. Having this store for 5 years was one of my greatest life accomplishments. I am forever grateful to have done this.

#2 - LOCAL MEAT MARKET - I’m so grateful for this store. I visit every week for my lunchmeat and ground beef or stew meat I need for the week.

#3 - KIDS SHOE STORE - My mom took me there as a child, and it was the only place I took my girls - especially when they were toddlers. The employees knew how to fit a child to the right shoes and my kids wore very good shoes. They weren’t super stylish and were pretty expensive, but I didn’t care. What was important was making sure they had the best shoes on their little feet.

 

[citruscurtis]

NEVADA

Burgers.... Laughlin is home to the loneliest In and out burger chain opportunity...a mini casino gambling strip Vegas style without the lights and best view of the Colorado River

Wild donkey population in Beatty...out on the middle of nowhere.... quaint community nestled in some hills

And really out in the middle of nowhere goldfield...a living ghost town with a southern us 95 grade with snow warnings
....
So how is that for a spotlight on Nevada....oh.. Spotlight, Nevada...so out on the middle of nowhere there is an actual company van that brings employees out of bullhead City to work 40 miles away....at a McDonald's/gas station complex...US 95

 

[clappyclaps]

Afternoon all,

1. My gardener - he's just a local lad with a small business, but really saves me the job of having to do my garden every few weeks, especially when the weather is poor.

2. Independent coffee shop - there's a new-ish coffee shop that has opened in my home town, that serves the best coffee and amazing cakes and pastries too. And it's run by the nicest local people.

3. Independent/local restaurants, bakeries & cafes - There's a lot of places like this in my town and the surrounding city, all deserving of mention as they're so much better than bigger chains and they make some amazing food. Being a bit of a foodie I love to eat and try new places and there's so many to choose from. Yesterday I went to a bakery/cafe in the city for the most amazing French toast and then in the evening a new local pizza place in my town with a super delicious pizza: