Thankful Thursday ~ Soundtrack of the Prairie

Happy Thankful Thursday, everyone! I hope you're all having a great week! The weekend is just around the corner!

What do you think of my new Thankful Thursday post header?

First off, you may have noticed that my blog looks a little different. I was a little tired of the previous look and so I'm working on tweaking it. You'll probably see a bunch of changes throughout the next little while as I keep working on finding a new look that I like, and adding features. Let me know what you think. I don't really know what I'm doing, so input and advice is greatly appreciated!

Next, a bit about my new Thankful Thursday image. I'm going to start each Thankful Thursday post with that picture because I like it, and for uniformity's sake. It's the inside of a "Mind Jar," which we made at school this past week. We were exploring the Virtue of Peacefulness and this was one of the projects/crafts we made to go along with that. I just think it's so pretty and it makes me think of a lot of the people and things I am thankful for, so I think it's appropriate as a header for Thankful Thursday posts. :)

Everyone's Mind Jar, all in a row. So pretty!

I got my Thursday started off right this morning with an easy three mile run. I don't run with headphones or music when I run outside. When I lived and ran in a town, I never went without music, but since living out here, I've made the change to running with my thoughts and nature as soundtrack. Jeff originally suggested that I go without headphones out here so that I could hear a rattlesnake, if there were one rattling. Sound advice, although, ironically, I have never actually heard or encountered a snake when I have been out for a run! (Jeff HAS...)

At first, it was really difficult for me, mentally, to get used to running without music or podcasts. Music especially was a motivator for me while running, and sometimes a distraction. Over time, however, I've grown accustomed to not running with music. I think I'm more in-tune with how I'm feeling as I'm running. I think I'm mentally tougher because I don't have the distraction. Most of all, however, I've grown to really enjoy listening to my surroundings. As I ran this morning, I had no idea what I'd write about for today's Thankful Thursday post, but as I kept plodding along, Meadowlarks and Mourning Doves cheered me on and made my run even more enjoyable. I realized that I am really thankful and glad to have their songs as the soundtrack to my run!

The Western Meadowlark is actually the State Bird of Montana so that makes it even more special to me that I get to listen to him sing. I feel like the Meadowlark is welcoming me to his State and to the prairie. Jeff was just telling me the other day that the Meadowlark has many songs and spent some time pointing a few of them out to me as we listened. Here's a great video that not only shows the beautiful, bright-colored appearance of the Meadowlark, but also shares several examples of his song:

Carol and Tom also have this really neat ceramic Meadowlark in their garden. Ok, I'm a bit biased because I gave it to them! But it's probably the closest I'll get to photographing a Meadowlark up close!

I've also been hearing a lot of Mourning Doves lately. These birds are common all over the country and I remember seeing and hearing quite a few of them in our backyard growing up in Ames. Some people confuse their cooing with an owl's hoot, but it is a little different:

I also see and hear Pronghorn Antelope frequently on my runs. Did you know that the Antelope is actually the fastest North American land animal? It's second-fastest in the world after the Cheetah. Pretty cool, huh?! We have them in great numbers around here. This time of year, the does are having their fawns. It is a very rare treat to see an antelope fawn in it's infancy-- I've only seen one or two since living here. But recently when I was running, an Antelope doe was acting sort of strange. I came upon her in about mile 2 of my 6 mile run and she ran just a bit ahead of me and then stopped and looked at me. As I approached, she took off another 100 yards or so, then stopped again. This went on for about a mile of my run. Jeff had told me in the past that sometimes if a doe has a fawn, she'll act this way to try to lure predators away from the fawn, who is likely curled up in the grass somewhere. Her pattern of running ahead and sort of baiting me was unmistakable and it really kept me entertained for about 10 minutes of my run that day.

Kind of hard to see, but this is the antelope doe that ran with me a few weeks ago.

Antelope make a funny but distinctive sound, too. It sounds sort of like a cough, or a person clearing their throat. I couldn't find a good video with the sound, but National Geographic has a great fact page on Antelope with an audio button you can click to hear their sound. With that doe on my run the other day, I may not have initially noticed her if she hadn't coughed. Again, when I first moved here, I don't even remember noticing the Antelope sound. Now, I again find that it's a common component of the soundtrack of the prairie.

Sometimes, too, I am serenaded by the "sweet" sounds of coyotes if I run in the mornings or evenings. We're pretty sure there's a den in our pasture, so hearing coyotes is pretty common. Here's a video of a coyote pack howling at night. If you have a dog, you may want to pay attention to it's reaction-- when I played this, Harvey became very interested!

Ok, so "sweet" probably isn't the right word to describe the sound that coyotes make, but it is more and more becoming a sound I associate with my home on the prairie. So, in that sense, it's sweet to me.

I'm thankful that I get to live and run in such a place that has really great nature sounds. There's also the sound of the wind in the grasses and fields, and of course, the sound of the dogs who accompany me on my runs! It makes me happy to hear their feet padding along in the gravel or grass and to hear them panting and breathing next to me. Harvey, Iggy and Abby each come along on runs sometimes. Harvey is definitely my number one running buddy!

Harvey! Harvey is fast and he likes to be first!

Iggy is old, but he still likes to come along and plod at his own pace.
We officially adopted Iggy this spring. He's a Saint Bernard mix.

Abby is Tom and Carol's Golden Retriever. She never stops smiling!
Out of all three dogs, Abby is the one who is closest to my running pace. 

Do you run/walk/hike with headphones or music? Next time, I challenge you to take them off and notice all the sounds that you hear. You might be surprised at the richness of the soundscape!

Today was the last training run before my Governor's Cup 10K race! I am so excited to do this race! I haven't done any "official" races yet this year, only virtual runs, so I'm really pumped to get the racing season started. Jeff and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Helena and I just can't wait to get down there and start taking in the entire event! I am doing the 10K and Jeff is doing the 5K on Saturday morning! In the spirit of today's post, I wonder what the sounds of the race will be? Anyway, wish us luck!

What are you thankful for this week? What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Thankful Thursday ~ Easter Photos

Nothing too heavy on this week's Thankful Thursday post.

I decided I'd just go back through my photos from the lovely Easter weekend we had, and then I kept going through some of my more recent photos from this week. So, this post is inspired by photos, but I also noticed as I went through my photos that there was a theme. Maybe it's something about Easter, or babies, or animals, or springtime, but the definite theme of the photos and the week is gentleness.

Take a look through and see what you think.

Who remembers Benjamin? His leg is healing up nicely!

 Josh, Katie and Brandon (my nephew) were here over the weekend. Brandon was introduced to cows by his Grandpa Tom, with Uncle Jeff and the rest of us nearby. Brandon even got to pet a new calf! (Below)

I always enjoy walking among the herd. This was a cool morning and the mamas were all eating hay we had rolled out in the pasture for them. The calves romped around on the hillside. Sweetgrass Hills in the background.

Can you see the bunny that Harvey is stalking? 

We did have a snow shower or two in the past week. I got a really lovely image of snow on a lilac bud. Springtime in Montana!

Harvey and I took a walk one morning and I coaxed him into holding still for a few moments while I snapped his portrait. Not easy to get a vizsla to sit still for photos when he's on his morning walk! He sat still but he was determined NOT to look at me! ha!

Gentleness is also the Virtue of the Week with the kids I work with at school this week. We discussed how to be gentle both with our actions and our words. Then we did an activity where we blew bubbles in soapy, dyed water and used the bubbles to make a "print" on our papers. We were gentle with our breath when blowing the bubbles, gentle with our words (using manners words to share supplies), and gentle with our hands when we laid the papers on top of the bubbles. Gentleness was a great word for the younger kids especially because it was one they could easily understand and demonstrate.

"Gentleness- being gentle, not being ruf, being kind in words."

"Gentleness- to be gentle with there words, don't be mean."

So what does Gentleness have to do with Thankfulness? Well, we can certainly be thankful for the ability of ourselves and others to be gentle. I appreciate when others speak to me with gentle words and kindness.  According to the book I use at school, "People are very sensitive beings. Many things are delicate and fragile, but feelings are the most fragile of all." Gentleness is being kind and considerate, in addition to moving and acting carefully.

Gentleness is--

• holding a baby
• being around and touching animals
• not shaking snow off of a branch
• blowing bubbles
• teaching children
• being kind in words and actions
• respecting and appreciating others and ourselves

I am thankful for everything on that very short list! 

Do you think Gentleness and Thankfulness can go together?
What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday ~ The Positivity Ripple Effect

At school, I teach kids social skills and life skills. I use a book called The Virtues Project: Educator's Guide to teach kids a different virtue word each week. Today, for Thankful Thursday, I decided to take a look at what my book says for the virtue of Thankfulness. Here is an excerpt:

"Thankfulness is being grateful for what you have. It is an attitude of gratitude for learning, loving, and being. It is appreciating the little things which happen around you and within you every day. It is having a sense of wonder about the beauty of this world. It is being aware of the gifts in your life. 

Thankfulness brings content ment. It helps you find the good things in whatever happens. ... With thankfulness, we keep a positive outlook.

Focus on the good things about your life and count your blessings often. Even when things go wrong, you can be thankful if you find the lessons to be learned. Let others give to you. Expect the best in every situation." 

Are there any lines in there that spoke to you specifically, or made you think about being thankful in a different way?

This is the bulletin board of sorts I made for our virtues in my classroom at the Elementary.
Can you find Thankfulness? 

I also liked this quote that was in my book, by someone named Peggy Jenkins: "The more we give, the more will come to us." I don't know who Peggy Jenkins is (and google didn't turn anything up eather) but I think we have all heard quotes like that one. The more we give, the more we receive. I think this is absolutely true. Since I've been trying to focus in 2015 on thankfulness and gratitude, I myself have been feeling like a happier, more content version of myself. Focusing on the positive is something I continually need to work on, but I think I am seeing the rewards in myself.

This week, I had the great honor of one of my recent Thankful Thursday posts being referenced in another friend's blog. Jane's blog is called The Home Place and is really great. I definitely recommend giving it a look! Jane works as a county extension agent in a nearby county in Montana, but grew up near here. In fact, she had actually babysat my husband and his sister when they were kids! She has been following my blog for some time and found that my post about showing gratitude for family members and on the farm fit in well with an upcoming extension activity she was promoting. You can check out her post here: http://31homeplace.blogspot.com/2015/02/transferring-your-farm-or-ranch-to-next.html. I think it's great that my post fit in with hers and hopefully the message of positivity, gratitude, and thankfulness will continue to spread!

How are you spreading positivity this week?