Friday, January 30, 2026

A Few More Good Things

I never post in the afternoon, but I've felt lifted up by Kym's Happy HourVicki's Good Things, and Sarah's Good News so I needed to share a few more good things. I think this should/will be a regular Friday thing. Be sure and check out their blogs if you haven't already. 

Just in case you didn't read my frozen finch story over at Kyms, I'll repeat myself here. I got to see a frozen finch come back to life. Sunday as the storm was winding down I saw a finch lying down in my window feeder. Its feet were curled up and it was covered in sleet and freezing rain. I felt sad that this poor bird had died, but Monday morning when I came downstairs, I saw the finch sitting on the edge of the feeder and warming up in the sun. I was thrilled and put off getting my tea so I didn’t disturb it, but I just sat at the kitchen table, watching and hoping it would get warm enough. After about half an hour it did, ate a few seeds and flew into the closest oak to sit in the sun some more. It felt like a miracle! 

It's not a great photo, but I took this on Monday morning as she was reviving herself. You can still see some of the sleet/freezing rain on her wing feathers, but she did eventually manage to fly away. It was a wonderful way to start my day (and probably hers, too).

This one is going to sound a bit weird, but alpha-galactosidase is also a good thing. Before the storm, I made big pots of bean soup and chili. Even though we didn't lose power, John and I enjoyed eating the, but by Day 3, both of us were in gastric distress. I ventured out and got some Beano. The active ingredient is alpha-galactosidase which prevents gas and bloating caused by complex carbohydrates by breaking them down in your stomach. It works wonderfully and we're finishing up the last of the chili tonight. 

I took some venison stew over to my neighbors the other day and we sat and had a cup of tea. I asked what kind of tea it was and my neighbor said it was some kind of ginger-turmeric tea that she had gotten but she didn't really like it much. I said I loved it and she gave me the rest of the box. That certainly sounded like a fair trade to me. I think the tea is great!  
 
Feel free to add any good things you can think of in the comments and join me in the future for a few more good things. This doesn't mean that things are all okay in Minneapolis or many other places in the US but we all need a few good things now and then.

11 comments:

  1. I love your story of the little frozen finch. The birds are remarkable. Trader Joe's also makes a Ginger Tumeric tea that I enjoy from time to time. It's a warming flavor. I agree I think this "good things on Friday" could be a nice posting. Maybe I'll write my good things up tomorrow, a day late but still worth noting.

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  2. I, too, love that Finch Miracle! Jane mentions Trader Joe's teas... my favorite is their Winter Wake Up tea... It is the perfect cup for these cold mornings. Wouldn't it be something if, thanks to Kym, we spread good things out across the inter webs? These posts have ripples radiating off them... which is a Very Good Thing! (and your hyacinths are just so lovely!)

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  3. Since we had woods filled with feral cats that we fed and provided heated huts for, we never fed the birds so they wouldn't hang around and become a meal. Now that the outside cats are all gone we just put out seed for the first time in years and I have to say that watching the birds in this cold has made me nervous. I feel terrible for the poor things out there and have been worried I'd find one in the state your poor bird was in. I'm glad you had a happy ending.
    I don't eat meat so I live pretty much on a bean and tofu diet and it took me years to build up a tolerance for it. Beano was a good friend in those early days.

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    1. I was glad that my finch friend survived his freezing torpor and lived to fly away. I was really afraid I'd have to get him out of the feeder and find some place under the snow and ice to bury him. Sometimes I wonder where the birds hide to try and stay warm but they have been coming to the feeder in droves.

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  4. How lucky you were to witness the revival of that sweet little finch! I'm sure it appreciated the food and the perch you provided for its recovery. Like Kat, I also love the TJ's Winter Wake-up Tea; this time of year, I have a cup almost every day after lunch. Ginger Turmeric sounds good and good for you, too. Maybe we need to make these Friday good news posts a regular thing?

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  5. I just saw this, Bonny. You never do afternoon posts! I loved your finch story. What an uplifting and optimistic thing to read during this arctic chill! I have been hiking out to fill the feeders all week. I feed them daily, but they have been burning through that food. I see it as payback for all the pleasure they bring me. I have no idea how they survive in this weather, but it is a wonderful thing to behold. I agree about continuing good news posts. It's pretty incredible how we can shift our focus and feel so much better after reading them. I am optimistically looking forward to Monday when the temps are forecasted to edge over the freezing mark.

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  6. Love your finch story Bonny. So glad that sweet bird managed to live! I like the idea of Friday "good things" posts.

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  7. poor little finch! So glad all is well. I have yet to try beano, I am lactose intolerant so I use lactaid pills when I am out and about and don't know the ingredients.

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  8. I love your finch story & I'm glad you repeated it -- I read every word both times. I thought for sure you were going to write "good things" about your bulbs, but also that the bottle of Beano was awfully focus-pulling! haha. Yay for science! And delicious tea!

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  9. I think about your little finch story many times a day now . . . every time I look out at my feeders and all the birds that partake of their bounty. And I'm so happy . . . that you and John can comfortably enjoy all the chili you can eat now. Thanks to Beano! XO

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  10. I just love that story about the finch. I made chili this week, too. No gastric distress, thank goodness, but I'll keep this in mind should that become an issue.

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