The Thing Post (March, 2026)

THING ONE

Last week (after a gloomy weekend), I got to work and saw a yellow display of joy on my desk.

The card (from Steve) said, “You are my sunshine.” Made my heart go pitter-patter.

I think it’s great to get gifts and flowers on anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, etc., but I think the best time to give them is when it’s completely unexpected.   I got to spend the whole week telling people the flowers were from my husband of 44 years, and he’d told me I was his sunshine.  It brought so many smiles to so many faces.

I was telling one co-worker about how fun it was to get flowers unexpectedly, and he said, “That’s a great point.  I’m going to stop by and get some on my way home tonight.”

THING TWO

I’ll try not to toot my own horn too much on this next subject, but I am rather proud of myself.

Let me just state for the record that I, Rebecca Campbell Smith, was able to figure out a car issue that neither my handy husband nor our highly reputable dealer could.  I impress even myself.

The short version is that I’ve had numerous challenges with our car’s gas tank door, which  meant I could be several hours from home and not be able to get the door open.  (Which is supposed to happen just by pressing on the lower right-hand part of the door.)

When Steve would press on it, it would magically open, which got my goat. Don’t you hate it when someone comes along and easily fixes a problem that you can’t?

He mentioned it to the mechanic at the dealership who tried to replicate the problem with no success. This was a pretty big deal, especially since I like to go out on long treks and find that it’s helpful to have gas in the tank.

Well. One day, I got out of the car and locked it as usual.  I must have walked toward the back of the car quicker than usual because I heard a decided “click” in the vicinity of the gas tank.  A click that sounded an awful lot like it was locking.

I tried the gas tank, and it wouldn’t open.  I unlocked the car door. The gas tank opened.  I had the whole “Eureka, Aha” moment and instantly understgood the problem.  When I pump gas, I usually lock the doors since my purse is in the passenger seat;  Steve does not lock the car when he pumps gas. And that’s why he never had the problem.

I am very proud of myself (and also greatly relieved) to have it figured out. I told Steve he needs to call the dealer and tell him that his highly non-mechanically gifted wife solved the mysterious problem all by hereself!

THING THREE

The other day, I was reading some instructions for cooking boneless chicken breasts, and it mentioned poaching them lightly for 20-25 minutes.  I had to laugh because I remembered back as a clueless newlywed,  I was somehow under the impression that the longer you cooked chicken, the more tender it got. I would put it in a pan and let it bubble merrily for 3-4 hours, and then wonder why we were having to chew thirty times per bite.

The other thing I didn’t know as a newlywed was how important it was to use real measuring spoons.  I just grabbed a spoon of a general size and used that to measure baking powder for biscuits.

We ended up standing on the back balcony of our rundown, roach-ridden first apartment and chucking the granite-hard biscuits into the woods. Even the squirrels and birds turned their noses up at them.

So thankful the years bring knowledge with them.

THING FOUR

Steve and I were talking last week about the olden days. (You tend to do that more when you, yourself, are olden.)  We were saying how we both remembered flannel boards being used in Sunday school.

Just image magine kids lined up in a row and being mesmerized by watching Joseph and Mary’s cardboard donkey being manually moved across a flannelboard to illustrate their journey to Bethlehem.

For some reason, I remember being intrigued by them. I guess it’s because we didn’t have flannel boards at home, and therefore, it was new and exciting “technology.”  What character would we see on the flannel board the following week?  The anticipation was intense.

Too bad modern kids will never have that scinitillating experience.

THING FIVE

A couple of weeks ago, on our Friday movie night, it was Steve’s turn to choose a movie, and he opted for 2001: A Space Odyssey. He had seen it in Honolulu when he was about twelve, and although he didn’t understand it, he knew it was groundbreaking and radically different than anything ever produced before.

Being a fan of great works of art, I thought it would be interesting to view such a famous film.  I’m not even sure I can put into words my opinion of it.  Certainly creative beyond words, beautiful, and thought-provoking. But also, very long, and incredibly slow, with very little dialogue and even less plot.

However, I’m still glad I saw it. I especially loved the soundtrack and the amazing views of space. Although they were artifically created, they reminded me of the vastness of our universe and the verse from Genesis 1:1 that says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

THING SIX

Last week, Tinker was very under the weather and experienced one of those symptoms that every dog owner loves: diarrhea.  (I’ll just stop here for a moment and let you pet owners imagine the joy.)

The usual morning routine is that Steve’s alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m. The dogs (who sleep with us) leap up and start ruffing and running around the bed, rolling over, scratching their backs, and giving into the zoomies, all the while keeping a close eye on Steve so they’re ready for the next phase–Steve bringing out their leash.  When they see that, they both go to the foot of the bed and sit there together waiting for him to hook it up to their collars, set them on the floor, and take them outside.

But not last Thursday morning.

Steve’s alarm went off, and instead of two Yorkies leaping about and having fun while waiting for him to leash them up, Tinker went and lay by himself, facing away from the room and away from Steve.  It didn’t take long for his sister to take a quick assessment of the changed circumstances, and then plop her sympathetic little self right down beside him.

I’ve read that dogs don’t like their owners to see them suffer or feel unwell. It was interesting that Tinker turned his back on Steve and lay on the far corner of the bed.

I snapped this photo after opening the bathroom door, which caught their attention. it was so sweet to see their little faces turn toward me. I knew Tinker really didn’t feel well because he let me take his picture. (For some reason, as soon as he sees a phone pointed at him, he runs in the other direction.)

At last, they heard the rattle of the leash, and both turned to look toward Steve at the same time.  It’s like their heads were hooked up to the same puppet string.

Steve got an appointment with the vet on Thursday afternoon and, thankfully, nothing serious was going on. We were worried because diarrhea and malaise were Tippi’s main symptoms before he passed away. Thankfully, after getting on some meds, Tinker is feeling much better. (But Belle is still keeping a sisterly eye on him.)

THING SEVEN

One of the many things I admire about both of my daughters is that they are thrifty.  Sarah and Meagan both love thrift stores and shop there for clothing for their family, as well as occasional household goods.

Meagan’s thriftiness showed up differently recently when, instead of buying a new table and chair set, she decided to save some money and repaint the set she had.

The plan seemed like a good one except that one of the chairs had been broken, and she wasn’t sure if it could be fixed.

Enter Steve, the Fix-It Guy, whose life saying is, “How hard can it be?”

It doesn’t really matter if he hasn’t fixed something before and doesn’t know how to do it. He’ll just stare at it, ponder it, sleep on it, and then shortly thereafter, the correct idea will present itself.

Here are a few photos to show his process.

You’d never know there had been a broken piece there!

THING EIGHT

Well, this is the first blog I have ever posted as a sixty-four-year-old. When I got up yesterday, Steve played me the song, “When I’m 64.”  If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen.  It’s quirky and will make you smile–whether you are 64 or not.

We went out for dinner Saturday night, and he had some lovely gifts for me to open after lunch. (My actual party will be Saturday night.)  My favorite gift was one of those things you put beside your car seat to keep keys, phones, and credit cards from disappearing into the abyss.  So excited that I will no longer be losing important items.

THING NINE

In closing, I leave you with this wonderful word to help you describe your feelings on those challenging days when there are no words. Hopefully, you will not need this word this week.

What about you?

Have you ever seen 2001: A Space Odyssey?  Opinion?

Have you ever fixed something that other people could not figure out?

What was a cooking mistake you made early in your cooking career?

Do you remember flannel graphs? Did you think they were exciting?  (For you younger folk, be sure to Google what they are.)  If you do remember them, please add your age to your comment. I’d be curious to see the youngest age who remembers them.