The Weekly Smile for the 12th of July, 2021 #weeklysmile

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Hi all. Yes, I am back after taking a week off of the Smile. And, as you may guess, that is what my smile is about.

I spent a week traveling to Ohio to visit family. It was the first time I saw them in two years. It was nice to see everyone and catch up face-to-face. One thing that had to be seen face to face were the bees.

We gave my dad a hive for Christmas. He has really been enjoying working with the bees.

comb visible

There was a lot of socializing, eating, etc. We also did a few activities, like kayaking and taking walks.

One great thing about where my parents live is that there are a lot of bald eagles around. Sitting on the beach waiting for my turn to use the kayak, an eagle flew over at a very low altitude and landed in a tree. Here is one of the photos.

But, as I originally said, the whole seeing family after two years, was what it was all about.

My smile for the week was visiting family in Ohio.

What made you smile?

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Come on, I’m sure you smiled at least once last week.  Why don’t you share it?  I hope you can join in!

Here is list of “rules” and guiding ideas.  If you don’t have time to read it right now, just remember that this is an exercise to spread positivity.  Don’t smile about the misfortune of others.  Don’t smile in a way to excludes others.  Make sure a 12 year old can read it.

To join in, write a post to share your smile and then leave a comment on this post with a link to your smile.  Or, if you prefer, do a pingback to this post (pingback = have a link from your post to this one) (Note – pingbacks have been very inconsistent – please leave a comment :) ).   You can post any time until next Sunday evening (to be simple, I will say midnight GMT, which is 7 PM Sunday for me).   Next week I will compile all of the Smiles and do a separate post of them on Monday morning just before the smile.  (I will shoot for around 7 AM EST).

42 thoughts on “The Weekly Smile for the 12th of July, 2021 #weeklysmile”

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  5. dprastka

    What a wonderful SMILE post to finally be able to see family in person. And all the fun things vacations provide!! YAY!! I was hoping to join and may get a smile post together soon. 😁❤️

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      It was great to see everyone after two years :) And I think we all had a great time. Not too late for a smile post, though it might be getting to the point that waiting until Monday would be easier ;)

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  6. SHL2

    Our son-in-law started in the bees this year he has some newer variety I do not remember the name of them. I am so glad you got to go see your family. I think COVID has changed things for all of us in many ways over the past few years. It must be amazing to see so many bald eagles close up.

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      My dad is really loving the bees. The ones he has are relatively docile, so easy to handle – I didn’t forget the name, I just never asked what they were. Thanks – it was great to see everyone! Covid did change quite a bit, but hopefully things will be better after we move to that new normal. There weren’t any eagles in Ohio when I was growing up – it is very cool to see so many and from so close.

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  8. Ju-Lyn

    Welcome back Trent! It sounds like a much-needed break & visit with family. It’s crazy how this pandemic has made it challenging to visit even family,.
    Wow! You gifted your Dad with a beehive? I love it!
    And that capture of the eagle – magnificent!

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks! It was great to see everyone after so long apart.
      Every year it gets harder to find something to give my dad, but the beehive was perfect – they best gift we ever gave him. He loves it.
      Thanks, re: the eagle shot :)
      Hope your week is going well.

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  12. Rowena

    I’m so glad you’ve made it to Ohio to catch up with family. After losing these close friends, it’s made me really aware of how important it is to stay connected with the ones we love and also all the hurdles that get in the way. It’s not as easy as you’d think and so many conflicting pressures on our time. I worry about not seeing my parents during lock down and am conscious of how much time we’re losing but it doesn’t seem to bother them.
    I’m struggling with my sleep, which is not surprising and it’s under a week since the most recent funeral. I’m trying to get my hours back to normal. It’s a constant battle for me, probably because my daily life is out of kilter with not having a 9 to 5 job. Indeed, I often get my best work done when everyone’s asleep. It’s now 3.48 am I woke up and and hoping reading and responding to a few posts might send me to sleep.
    Btw I know you like to look for the rainbow and the smile in things. I have actually made new and deeper connections as a direct result of losing these friends. It’s also reawakened my appreciation for squeezing the zest out of life and seizing the day. That it’s not wise to keep putting things off until tomorrow, even though it is inevitable.
    Take care and best wishes,
    Ro

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks, Rowena. It is important to keep in touch. I do talk to my family a lot, but it isn’t the same as seeing them face to face.
      I do sometimes wonder about my schedule when I retire. I do think I will have to make some type of schedule to keep me in daylight hours!
      I am sorry you lost so many friends over the course of the pandemic. It is hard. I’m glad you are finding a silver lining – we can’t spend our entire lives mourning those we lost.
      I hope you are having a good week :)

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      It is a great coincidence, though over here not too out of the ordinary – last week was the first major US holiday since the Covid travel restrictions have been loosened, so a lot of people visited family. Public travel was still done in masks, but many more people traveled.
      My dad does love the bees, and bees are so important. The best we have ever given him :)
      Thinking back to your post, nature is home, so a huge part of visiting my childhood home is spending time outside in that glorious nature :) I do that here, as well, but every place has its own feel.

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    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Yes, ti was good to see everyone after the “forced separation”. Walks in the woods, kayaking and watching eagles, no you can’t beat it, though I still want to see a Sandhill Crane ;)

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