Tag Archives: thanks

May13

Thankful Thursday May 2021

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Blaize Sun

Thankful Thursday posts can be challenging. They can quickly become boring when I mention gratitude for the same things month after month. Don’t get me wrong. I AM always thankful for my health, plenty of food, friends, and people who support me and my writing, but I don’t know if folks want to read about the same things every month. So please know that while I’m going to mention new things for which I am thankful, I still appreciate all the people and things I told you about last month too.

Without further ado, the people and things I am thankful for this Thursday in May 2021.

I appreciate Dave who made a monetary donation last month, as well as Shannan who has set up an automatic monthly donation for me through PayPal.

Thanks to Rena, Ben, and Samantha who bought hats from me in April and to Enid, Laurie, Kat, Maggie, Laura-Marie, and Barbara who bought some of my “With Love from the Desert” postcards. Every time someone buys an item I’ve created, my spirits are lifted, and I’m a little closer to making ends meet.

Thanks so much to my Patreon patrons too. I appreciate their monthly monetary support. I hope they enjoy the extra content (only available on Patreon) that they receive from me.

I’m so grateful to my friend Richard of @cajunvantravelers, a graphic artist who is totally revamping my logo to include my minivan. I’ve really enjoyed my current logo which was drawn by the lovely, sweet, talented Samantha Adelle who sadly passed away at the end of 2019. However that logo harks back to my conversion van days, and I really want to feature my Sienna in the design that represents me. I’ll be very excited to unveil my new logo soon. I can’t wait to get stickers featuring the new design and do more sticker trades.

*Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash*

My friend Brent visited me (outside in a park, masked, safely distanced) right before I left home for the summer. I was really pleased he took time out of his travels to spend a couple of hours chatting with me.

I’m very grateful for the summer house and dog sitting gig that has already begun. I’m living in an apartment in a small mountain town where summer temperatures will be bearable. The dog behaves well and is very sweet. I’m enjoying a lot of space in the apartment, as well as the full-size refrigerator, stove, oven, and shower. I’m glad to spend the next several months here.

Before I began house sitting, I visited friends in Phoenix. I’m extremely thankful for the hospitality they showed me while I was there. I appreciate the meals, the games, the laughs, the use of the laundry facilities, and the drive-in puppet show. It was a good time for me.

My sibling bought me an old school manual typewriter and had it spiffed up with a new ribbon and typewriter tune-up. It is grand, and I love it so much. It won’t replace my laptop, but it will be fun to write letters on it and use it to type up bits for collages. I am so grateful for this fine gift.

I’m doing well. My life is good. As always, I have so much to be thankful for.

Thank you for reading! I’m always grateful for my readers. If you want to offer some financial support, I would be grateful for that too. To make a one-time donation, click on the “donate” button at the top of the column on the right. To become my patron on Patreon, click on the “Become a patron” button just under the search bar at the top of the column on the right. Folks who follow me on Patreon get extra content that I don’t share anywhere else. Depending on at what level you chose to support me, you can receive email updates, letters and postcards in the mail from me, stickers, buttons, a custom made hemp bracelet and/or a collage I created.

Apr1

Thankful Thursday April 2021

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Blaize Sun

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Life’s been challenging in the five months since I last shared a blog post, but I still have so much for which to be grateful. The following are some of the people for whom I give thanks right now:

Just as I was on the brink of deleting my Patreon account, a new patron joined! I can’t even express how excited I was! Thank you, Rena, for your support and encouragement. I appreciate you so much.

I also appreciate Shannan, my friend of 35 years (Gulp! How is that possible?) who has an automatic PayPal donation set up to support me monetarily every month. Thank you, lady. The money is helpful, but the fact that you prioritize me helps keep me going.

Brent deserves a big shout out too. Every few months he sends me a little something to help make ends meet. He’s been a big supporter since we met at the 2016 RTR. Brent, I appreciate your advice and friendship so much. You are a great cheerleader.

Frank supported me financially recently too. Thanks for being a good friend, Frank, and for encouraging my writing. I am grateful for you.

Keith is my computer guy who makes this blog possible. Thanks Keith, for supporting my blog before it was even a real thing.

My thanks also go out to people who sent me housewarming gifts, Christmas and birthday presents, postcards, letters, books, stamps, and love. These friends include Jessica, Laurie, Tracee, Dave, Liz D., Liz J., Maggie, Jim, Nic, Betsy, Joshua, Denise, Greg, Ed, Sarah, Russ, and Christina. You folks really lift me up and help me keep on truckin’.

I’m grateful for other things too. Here are a few of the things I’m glad for right now:

I sold my truck in less than a week, allowing me to pay off some debts and buy some things I’ve needed for a while.

I bought a Toyota Sienna manufactured in the 21st century! I bought it from the original owner, and it had under 100,000 miles on it. I named it the Silver Streak.

I had an eye exam last week, and I’m waiting on two pairs of glasses to come in. I will soon see clearly, and I am so excited!

I’ve been vaccinated against COVID 19. I’ve had both of my shots and suffered only minor adverse effects. I am so grateful to have reached this milestone. I know last summer when I sat in my bed in my little trailer parked in the middle of nowhere, I feared such a day would never come. To have even this degree of protection is such a blessing.

I’ve also received my first of two vaccine shots for shingles. (I’ll get the second in two to six months.) I’m doing everything I can to protect myself against illness. I’m so glad I am able to protect myself.

I am filled with gratitude for my continued good health and the health of my loved ones.

The food pantries where I live have really stepped up. My personal pantry is stocked with beans, rice, oats, flour, peanut butter, and canned goods. I usually get milk, cheese, eggs, and butter once or twice a month. I have so many potatoes in the cupboard and bananas in the freezer. All of that bounty comes from local food banks. I am so thankful.

I’m also thankful to live in my little trailer in a nice little RV park. I probably have another two months in this desert before it gets too hot and I have to go up in elevation for a while. I’ll be so grateful to travel again.

All in all, I’m a fortunate person. Life is good. Life is good.

*My new ride, the Silver Streak. I took this photo.*

Thanks for reading! I’m always grateful for the folks who read my writing. If you want to offer some financial support, I would be so thankful for that too. To make a one-time donation, click on the “donate” button at the top of the column on the right. To become my patron on Patreon, click on the “Become a patron” button just under the search bar at the top of the column on the right. Folks who follow me on Patreon get extra content you can’t find anywhere else. Depending on at what level you chose to support me, you can receive email updates, letters and postcards in the mail from me, stickers, buttons, a custom made hemp bracelet and/or a collage I created.

Apr2

Early April Thankful Thursday

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Blaize Sun

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First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who commented on my post “Update, COVID-19 Edition.” I appreciate all of your concern and input and will respond to each comment soon. I love it when my readers comment, so please keep it up.

Secondly, big thanks go out to my friends and readers Sarah and Russ for their financial contribution this month. Your support really warms my heart and helps make ends meet.

Sometimes I’m grumpy because I’m stuck at home with no mail and a lack of yummy snacks, but really, I have so much for which to be thankful. Here are some of the things for which I am grateful on this early April day:

My good health, The Man’s good health, Jericos’s good health, and the good health of all of my friends and family members. No one close to me is currently dealing personally with a case of COVID-19.
Our tiny piece of land and our tiny trailer where we can hunker down safely away from other people. I’m so glad that we’re not on the road right now.
Our lack of mortgage payment, car note, and rent. It’s a blessing to live simply without huge bills hanging over our heads.
A pantry stocked with (at least) seven pounds of oatmeal; fifteen pounds of beans (pinto, Lima, black, red, kidney, garbanzo, and lentils); thirteen pounds of potatoes; several onions; seven pounds of rice; two pounds of texturized vegetable protein; five pounds of cornmeal; a couple of pounds of flour (white and whole wheat); five pounds of sugar (granulated, brown, and powdered); two dozen eggs; three packages of pasta; a head of cabbage; a loaf of bread; 3/4 of a jar of peanut butter; three bags of tortilla chips; assorted canned goods (corn, peas, spinach, pasta sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and pumpkin); a pound and a half of butter; a jar of popcorn; spices; condiments; baking supplies; a little bit of powdered milk; and other odds and ends. We might have some…interesting…meals before it’s all said and done, but we won’t starve. (We opened a 35 pound bag of dog food for Jerico last week, so he’s got food for a month, maybe six weeks.)
The Man just kicked the tobacco habit!!!
My phone which allows me to stay connected to my family, my friends, and the world and provides a hot spot so I can access the internet on my laptop too.
Noise cancelling headphones and Relaxation Radio on Google Play.
Plenty of books to read.
The end of winter, warm spring weather, and plenty of sunshine.

Thank you for reading, today and every day that you join me here. Thank you for your support and encouragement. Let’s continue to get through these tough times together.

Jan9

Early January Thankful Thursday

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Blaize Sun

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With a new month comes a new chance to share my appreciation for the people who have supported me recently.

Thanks always go out to my readers, without whom I’d have to reason to share my stories, rants, and observations.

I’m grateful to my sibling who sent a giant box of yummy food treats to me and The Man for Christmas and included postcard and first class stamps just for me.

I appreciate Theresa, a longtime friend (we’re talking decades here!) and my newest supporter on Patreon.

Big thanks to Frank who’s sent stamps and postcards to me in the past and in December made a generous contribution via PayPal.

Gratitude to Laura-Marie who bought a handmade bracelet from me last month and always sends love and moral support.

I’m also thankful every time The Man washes the dishes, sweeps the floor, and starts the truck for me on cold mornings when I have to go to work.

For whom and what are you grateful today? Please leave your thoughts of gratitude in the comments section below.

Dec19

Thankful Thursdays

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Blaize Sun

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The Man and I started a new tradition on Thanksgiving Day this year. I had a small blank book a friend found on a free shelf at a local thrift store and gave to me because of the sun on the cover. I decided the book would be a gratitude journal. I asked The Man if he would participate in filling the gratitude journal with me, and he agreed.

I found “50 Inspiring Gratitude Quotes” on Shutterfly and picked four of them to write on the book’s inside covers.

Two quotes read: "The root of joy is gratefulness."-- David Steindl-Rast and "Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty."--Doris Day — Two inspiring gratitude quotes. Looks like I forgot to cross the “t” in David Steindl-Rast’s name. Sorry about that, sir.

Our goal is to each write five things we are grateful for every day. Some days we get busy and forget to write our gratitude, but we try to pick up the next day. The book is not very thick, but when it is full, we’ll each have a record of about 150 things, people, and experiences for which we are thankful.

A man and dog stand on the edge of a cliff looking down at trees. — I’m grateful for The Man and Jerico the dog every day.

Sometimes it seems difficult to think of new things to appreciate. I’m thankful for The Man and Jerico the dog every day. Ditto LED lights, eggs, and our 4 wheel drive truck. The challenge I enjoy is identifying new things for which I feel gratitude.

In the spirit of recognizing new things for which I am grateful, I’m starting Thankful Thursdays here at the Rubber Tramp Artist blog. At least once a month (maybe more) I will share gratitude with my readers. Sometimes I’ll give a shout out to the people who support me and the blog monetarily, either by buying my crafts, becoming my patron on Patreon, or making a one-time donation. Other times I’ll thank the people who give me emotional and mental support. Sometimes I’ll share a quote pertaining to gratitude. Will you join me in making 2020 a year of thanks?

Two more gratitude quotes read: "When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."--Anthony Robbins and "When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."--Willie Nelson — Words of wisdom on gratitude from Anthony Robbins and Willie Nelson

I’ll start today with this list of the people who’ve given me financial and material support in the past couple months. Thanks to all of you who help me pay the bills and send goodies. I appreciate each of you.

List of gratitude. List reads: I'm grateful for Nancy, my newest patron on Patreon. I'm grateful for Shannan who sends me a donation every month. I'm grateful for Brent who contributed financially this month and has done so in the past. I'm grateful for Keri who bought two hats from me. I'm grateful for Val who bought a hat from me. I'm grateful for Bette Rae who bought a hat from me. I'm grateful for Felicia and Liz who sent yarn. I'm grateful to Jennifer who sent postcards. I'm grateful for Keith, my computer guy who is also a Patreon patron. — My list of gratitude. Gerry sent postcards too! Sorry I forgot to put her on the handwritten list.

What are you grateful for today? Please share your gratitude in the comments section below.

I took all of the photos in this post.

If you would like to support me, click on the “Become a patron” button at the top of the column on the right, or click on the “donate” button in the middle of that column.