I was listening to the news the other morning and about all that was on was about the virus out of China. It was talking about the age groups facing the virus that will probably have the most trouble. It was my age group. Bummer. It was talking about where the virus is or where those who have tested positive are located. We have kinfolk spread all across the U.S., so all our kinfolk are in danger. Also a bummer! A double bummer was that Marge and I had to be in a county that had an individual who tested positive. Notice the word had. We wouldn't have been there, if we could have chosen.

But the thing is the county where the individual tested positive probably has something like 15,000 or 20,000 people in the county. But for whatever reason, my mind thought we probably bumped into that individual in the midst of the 15,000 or 20,000. Now here I am with a major in math and minors in physics and chemistry jumping to a conclusion that isn't even rational. We might have, but unlikely.

So here I am with a heavy sweat shirt on in pajama type bottoms drinking coffee watching the news, when I noticed the black insulated coffee cup I'm having a cup of Costa Rica coffee I roasted a few days ago. It's a nice metal-insulated cup we bought at a garage sale and a friend of our son's sprayed it with a slip resistant black powder type spray. I thought, "Huh, I am sure glad we went to that garage sale, and I bought the coffee cup. We have lots of cups, but I'm glad I have this one cup someone got rid of."

I was thankful. So I woke up early this morning and made another cup of Costa Rica coffee, and I'm having coffee from that same cup and I'm still thankful. Thankful for a lot of things. Back in October I came down with bronchitis and went to Dr. Rod to help me out. He checked me out and prescribed meds to help but he also offered some suggestions on home remedies that would help. Fast forward to now. One of his suggestions really helped my sinuses last night. Thanks.

I really don't like to be around gloom-and-doom-type people or even listen to them. And honestly this includes even in the church. I want the truth about hell, but I want to hear the message of hope. I think it's Steve Hartman who has the stories on TV about things that are good and positive and promising. That's what I want. There seems to be a spirit of thankfulness about him and his short TV spots. Being thankful.

Seems like I'm kind of unprepared for spring and gardening this year. One thing I should have done was get my propane tanks filled so I could use them in my greenhouse if it gets below freezing. So we went to Oran and filled our propane jugs and got 5 gallons of kerosene. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store, and they had bags of potatoes. Not just plain potatoes, but big baking potatoes. Man we love baked potatoes. Thankful for a simple potato. We checked on eggs, and no eggs. Never even looked at the T.P. Those baker potatoes were awesome. Oh yeah, and the radishes. Got some radishes.

I wondered how an old friend was doing this morning, so sent her a text. Iisited with Shirley until we both got tired of texting. Neat how we can isolate yet at the same time not be isolated. I don't like all the modern technology, yet at the same time, I'm so thankful for it. I called my brother-in-law up in Nebraska. Called my sister in Nebraska and wished her a happy birthday. Called my other sister in Nebraska and just visited about the weather. Called my brother in Nebraska. I'm thankful.

I got up around 4:30 this morning. I was lying in bed thinking about this article, so I might as well get up and work on it. The house was down to 65 which is where we set the thermostat so it was cool in here. So I started coffee and built a fire. Thankful for that wood stove we bought and put in many years ago. There is just something about a wood stove and fire that modern technology can't duplicate. Someone says they can't sleep. I can fix that. Build a fire in the wood stove. It starts out being 70 in our front room and then 75 and a little later 80 and usually by that time I'm sound asleep taking a nap. At times, I wake up later, and we might be at 90 degrees. There have been times I've stripped down to my Fruit of the Looms and still sweat. So be alert if you come visit after dark up here. I just may have to put my bibs on. I never get over being thankful for a good wood fire even when it gets carried away.

Of course there are big things I'm thankful for like my wife and family and friends and such. Those I'm thankful for beyond measure. But I'm also thankful for our cats. There is Kitty Girl and Baby 2 and No Tippy and Fluffy Boy and Momma Fluffy and Trouble and Sweety and so on. Thankful for our steers like Bangs and RJ (Might be JR. I mix it up.) and Googles and Blackie and Knucklehead and so on. Thankful we live on the edge of a city out in the country. So much to be thankful for.

There are times when it's really hard to be thankful and we are down in the dumps and discouraged. There are times when we need to go see an expert or counselor and maybe even get on meds to help us through depression. One thing I do know for sure, it's a lot more fun being thankful over a little then depressed over anything.