Transmissions from the Northern Outpost

Category: 3 Good Things Thursday

  • 3 Good Things Thursday for June 2025

    Every Thursday, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    With June in the rearview, I thought it’d be good to look back at the month through the lens of three good things:

    New car

    We got the new car on the last day of May, but I’m still counting it for June as it was our first month using the car. What a difference between a 2011 car and a 2020 (Subaru Outback, both of them, and a car that we had to keep dumping money into versus a car we don’t have to do that.

    New air conditioner

    The day before we had a multi-day heat wave, we got a new air conditioner. We are glad we did as with three window air conditioners, and closing curtains so it looked like we lived in a cave, our small one-story house was kept more tolerable than it would have been without it.

    My wife’s month of Pride

    My wife Kim is the northcentral Pennsylvania area coordinator for Free Mom Hugs. Click link for more info about the non-profit organization.

    She coordinated three events in June, and would have been four if the one hadn’t been canceled due to bad weather. She also is on the committee of our county’s annual Pride event, which was this past weekend. Here is a photo of her, right, with two volunteers on Saturday at the Free Mom Hugs table.

    Why is she involved? I’ll let her tell you in her own words:

    I am involved with Free Mom Hugs because I steadfastly refuse to accept the scapegoating and attempted erasure of the LGBTQIA+ community. I do it in honor and memory of people I know and have known who deserve much better than they are getting.

    Bonus good thing

    On Sunday, Kim participated in an art class at a park near our house that was all day.

    So, how about you? Tell me about three good things from last month in the comments, if you want.

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  • Remember compassion

    Every Thursday, and sometimes Friday like today, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    Today I’m grateful for the day off. Most Fridays I work but happen to be off this Friday, and I’ll be off next Friday for the Fourth of July. I also am off the last Friday of the month. I have no big plans for any of the days. Still it’s nice to have off.

    Addendum in afternoon: it’s not sunny but the temperatures are hovering around 70 and the windows are open after the house was closed up earlier in the week with temperatures in the 90s and window air conditioners running nonstop for a few days.

    This past week, my sister and I have been able to communicate well, especially about our aging parents, both with health issues.  It’s a challenging time for both of us, our spouses, and her children, and, not least of all, our parents. However, we all are trying to be understanding with each other, and know that when we get upset with each other, we still love each other. In the next few months, year, and years, I’ll probably have to return to this thought more than once as a gentle reminder, hence the title of the of the post.

    Next week, I will have a three-day weekend, starting with the Fourth of July. My wife is working that weekend so we won’t be going anywhere and normally don’t anyway. Personally, I’m looking forward to the second and final Subway Series of the season between the Yankees and the Mets Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Yankees won the first series, winning two out of three games at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. This time, the games will be played at Citi Field in Queens, with all afternoon games.

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  • Cool, sweet, and peachy

    Every Thursday I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    Keeping it simple since posting late today:

    1. It’s cool tonight. We have the windows open, it’s about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and there’s a nice cool breeze. Starting Sunday, we’re into our first heat wave of the season with temperatures in the 90s and hot. So we’re enjoying this while we can before we put in our window air conditioner in our bedroom, which we haven’t needed yet.
    2. I just had a small bowl of peanut butter fluff gelato, which was very good, that I picked up from a local gelato place after work.
    3. I also picked up a four pack of cans of peach Moscow Mules that I thought we’d try and they’re also very good. We have two cans for later in the weekend.

    Like I said, keeping it simple here.

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  • 3 Good Things For Father’s Day

    …in lieu of a 3 Good Things Thursday this week.

    Usually Thursdays, but today on a Sunday, I share three good things from that day, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. Then I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. (I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.) Today is a quick special edition for Father’s Day.  So without further ado…

    My Father

    This weekend I’m visiting him and my mother who live about 60 miles away, after not seeing them in probably six months, around his birthday in January. I came over yesterday and will be here until later today. It’s been a good visit thus far.

    Family

    My sister and her family will be here this afternoon, and we’ll have burgers and hot dogs.

    Yesterday my sister and her daughter came over and we played a game called Aggravation (a board game with marbles), with my niece winning after my mom and I “put her back” to the beginning. It was a nicely played game by her (even with the mild trash talking amongst us).

    From a game last year this month in which I won. I think my niece remembered. 😉

    A nearly-perfectly-made omelette

    To start today, I made omelettes for my dad and me. They have a nice set of non-stick pans, and the first omelette for my dad turned out nearly perfect. I say nearly perfect because I forgot to add a piece of thin-sliced ham to his. That said, I used olive oil, a little salt and pepper and it turned out much better than the ones I make on our stove. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of it right out of the pan, but you still get the gist:

    I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

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  • A new car, 5 days off, and my birthday!

    Every Thursday, and sometimes Friday (today, for example), I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    Above is this week’s No. 1: a new (used) car! It’s a 2020 Subaru Outback XT. Our old car, a 2011 Subaru Outback, died on Friday and we were able to get this one Saturday morning. Nine years newer, it’s quite a step up, with touchscreen controls being the biggest change. But we’re getting used to it, with minor frustrations but nothing compared to putting $500 every time we’d go to the mechanic’s.

    This week’s second and third grateful things are: 2.) starting tonight after work, I’m off until Thursday and 3.) my 56th birthday is on Monday. My wife Kim is off Monday and Tuesday with me. Unfortunately, our plan to go road tripping to the wine country of the Finger Lakes in New York on Tuesday isn’t happening thanks to expected rainy weather. So, we’ll just be hanging out together both days, with fun TV and movies.

    I do have other possibilities of things I want to do over the five days, including maybe finishing the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri if two of the copies of the books come in. I only have three to go and have one already. I’d also like to watch more of the Italian TV series based on the books on MHz, which we have for a discounted rate for the a few months. Mainly, well, besides laundry tomorrow morning (or Sunday morning) at the laundromat, I just want to not think too much about things.

    Addendum: Seems like right before I go on a work break of any duration, there’s always something Friday afternoon that makes the last part of the day hectic. Today was a manic coworker. At least, it wasn’t patrons…and hey, I’m off now.

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  • Yay, negative biopsy! And go Yankees!

    Every Thursday I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    Today’s No. 1 is a big one. A couple of weeks ago, my dad, who is 81, had an ultrasound on a spot on his chest. Then a series of doctor appointments followed with the spot being removed and a biopsy being performed. Today the results came back: negative!

    After that, No. 2 and No. 3 are just cake.

    A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I am now watching baseball, and specifically the Yankees. As of today, at they have 35 wins and 20 losses and set atop the American League East and the third best record in Major League Baseball behind the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies.

    And this weekend, they will be in Los Angeles facing the Dodgers who…ugh…I hate saying this…defeated the Yankees in last year’s World Series. But this year, the Yankees are on fire and the Dodgers are beleaguered by pitching injuries. So…

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  • Three-day weekend, yaaaay!

    Every Thursday I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    Today, I’m grateful for these three good things:

    Number 1: I’m off the upcoming holiday weekend for all three days.

    Number 2: Kim and I are both off today and Monday together. As a 911 dispatcher, she usually works most holiday weekends, but at least has Monday off. She’s running a couple of errands this morning, but this afternoon, we have silly TV and movies planned. Among the silliness is this:

    Number 3: Still looking forward to five days off around, and on, my birthday.

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  • Let Them Eat Cake, I’ll Take A Bottle of Wine

    Every Thursday, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    First, I’m grateful that I’m off work today. After the day I had Tuesday, I need the time to recollect my thoughts, obviously. I’m not going anywhere.

    Second, I’m planning on dipping into The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins again. I don’t know if I’ll finish it today. It’s not that long, but Robbins gives a lot of information. I’ve been taking notes.

    Third, I got my work schedule for work for June earlier in the week and happen to have several days off on and around my birthday. I asked for my birthday, Monday, June 9, off and the day after since with the way her schedule works, Kim happens to be off too. Our director also gave me off Wednesday, which with the weekend off for me before my birthday too gives me five days in a row off. As I work part-time at the library and can be put in the schedule to fill holes, it’s rare I get that many days off in a row so it will be welcome as probably the weather will be (finally, maybe) getting warmer than it has been so far this spring.

    We have no plans at this point, but might go to Finger Lakes wine country in neighboring New York State on my birthday for the day or the day after. Kim gets home at 6 a.m. Monday morning from her regular 12-hour shift, so most likely it will be Tuesday and on a week day at the wineries, it shouldn’t be too busy.

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  • The first American pope, a rare Friday off, and go Yankees!

    Every Thursday (or sometimes like today, on a Friday), I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    The First American Pope

    Though my wife and I are no longer Catholic, we are glad to see that the man Pope Francis probably would have picked to succeed him: Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV.

    A rare Friday off

    I’m off today, a Friday, normally a day I work, so I plan to take advantage of it:

    • Reading more of The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. 
    • Catching up with the last episodes of the Where is My Mind? podcast hosted by Niall Breslin. I discovered Breslin at the start of the pandemic with a podcast he had called Wake Up/Wind Down, which he then spun off into Where is My Mind? I will miss hearing his voice.
    • Maybe reading some poetry and fiction too. I have a poetry book or two and two poetry magazines checked out from the library on the Libby app. I also am on the last few of the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri.

    Yankees baseball

    At the start of the season, with our phone plan, T-Mobile had a deal for MLB.com for free for the season. When I was a kid, I followed baseball some, and only the Yankees. Since then, I’ve only kept up very sporadically, but with “the state of the world” the way it is, I decided why not another distraction? It’s been a good one, with the Yanks doing well to start the year. While they don’t have the best record in baseball, they are at the top of their division, the American League East, with 21 wins and 16 losses. I’ve also been enjoying watching affiliates of the Yankees in minor league, which MLB.com shows too, especially the Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

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  • Off together, my first poem in years, and The Let Them Theory

    Every Thursday I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.

    So, first good thing is Kim and I were both off yesterday together, today she was off all day, I only worked three hours and now I’m off. As usual, we have nothing special planned but it’s good to be off together for the rest of the night.

    Second is yesterday I wrote my first poem in a long time, at least five years, if not longer. I posted it here on the blog, if you want to see.

    Third is hopefully reading this Sunday a book that the aforementioned Deb Nance mentioned in passing in a comment to me, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. I had heard of Robbins, a very popular podcaster, but didn’t – and don’t – know much about her or the book. That said, I’m looking forward to anything that potentially can make me a more complete person.

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