word of the week: discover!

A friend of mine challenged me to come up with a word of the day, or week (month?!)   I thought: “what a great idea!” And so, I share with you, a word that I think you, too, might want to consider doing.
This week, forms of the word DISCOVER keep popping up for me.
First, it was our Brindle-colored English Mastiff/Ridgeback mix, as he discovered and showed us that he could pick up his Christmas toy, a stuffed puffin with 2 ‘squeakers’ – one on its head, one in the belly. Bubba now, ON COMMAND, will go pick up Squeak, and when we say “squeak  Squeak”, he gently turns him over, hits the nose twice, then locking up at one of us, wagging his tail as if to say: “did I do good?”
Photos over the last few weeks show our grandson as he DISOVERS his “independence”. AUGH!! Where has 4 months gone? Not only has he discovered being on his tummy, up on elbows, but he grabbed his bottle from his mom and FED HIMSELF! The next photo was of him in his walker, his tippy toes touching.  To one up THAT, he stood on his own, holding onto the couch! And TODAY, a photo came of his first time in his high chair, being fed cereal!! Don’t blink: he’ll be driving (a vehicle – not his parents crazy…..well, maybe both!!)
Alaskans FINALLY got a chance to DISCOVER their long lost snow. We have been 32” below normal snowfall this winter. Seems like the East Coast think they have to have it!! I told my young great-niece and nephews that they could send the snow back, ANY time! (Just no rain!) The snowmachiner’s were in powder heaven, even though they had to drive several hours instead of local 5-6” of snow.
Son Tim didn’t have long to DISCOVER what it’s like to be on the receiving end of an 18-wheelers whizzing by him,  creating a virtual white-out around him! Add minus 25 degrees F temperatures, as they work up towards Denali, and it was a welcome DISCOVERY as he got back to where they are staying, that his seafood chowder was awesome, albeit forgetting the bacon!!
The absence of recent blogs from me, is due to DISCOVER-ing that being “off the grid” on all fronts, is actually kind of nice. Even if it meant I didn’t get in to get my Talking Rain Peach Nectar Mineral Water that Kathy has kept in stock for me, (catching up on the back-log is a different story!)  Bill and I have been battling the local virus, off and on for 3 weeks. After the first couple days home, we DISCOVERED hours of  watching reruns and old movies together,  sorting through old photos, and enjoyed time together we don’t often get – call it a “home” vacation!
So now it’s YOUR turn! What word or words will YOU “DISCOVER”? Try it out – it’s contagious!