Raindrops on Roses...

If I'm in a not-very-good mood, I generally do one of two things:

1) I wallow

 2) I figure out a way into a better one

I don't much like to wallow and lately, my go-to get-in-a-better-mood thing has been Pinterest. My daughter and I discovered it at the same time, quite a while ago. It was addicting at first, let me tell you. For me? A visual person? Finding a place where I can pin pictures of pretty much everything I might like/love/want? Well, I have one word for you:

Squeeee!

So Pinterest has become an online Happy Place for me. And now, more than 8,000 pins later, it's where I can go to look at all my bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens...

Julie Andrews? Would seriously love Pinterest.

So I started pulling pictures of my favorite things for this post, figuring I'd wind up with a dozen or so. Ha! I have enough photos for 5 or 6 posts now.

Also? I'm in a much better mood than I was earlier. Try it. Think about your brown paper packages, tied up with string... I bet it'll work...

Here are some of my favorite things, in no particular order...

Laughing... I love to laugh and I find a lot of Life funny. All laughing is good, of course, but what I mean here is serious laughing. I mean the kind of laughing that makes your cheeks and your belly hurt; the kind where you can't breathe and the tears are rolling down your face and you wind up doing the silent, whole-body shake, until you snort and have to gasp for air. Man, that is some good stuff!

Lemons... I love 'em! I love the color, the smell, the taste. I love to cook with fresh lemons and squeeze the juice into my tea. I put a bowl of them on the dining room table and if I haven't used them before they start to turn, I slice them and boil them in some water on the stove to make the whole house smell good.

Rain... I crazy-love rain. I love all sorts, from soft drizzles to the heavens-just-opened downpours to summer thunderstorms and sun-showers. I love to walk in it and to come in from it, and I still stomp in puddles every chance I get.

Sheep... I adore sheep. If they're baby sheep, even better. If they're baby black-faced sheep? Be still my heart.

Old Houses... I've been having a serious love affair with old houses for a long time, especially if they've been abandoned. I believe old buildings have souls and seeing them neglected and empty makes me sad. I imagine all the lives that crossed their thresholds, and the happiness and sadness that occurred within. I have always had the ability to recognize a house's good bones and the ability to see what can be, rather than what is, so I restore and heal them in my head.

Tea and Books... Here are two of the best things ever invented. I have an e-reader but I still prefer the feel of a real honest-to-goodness book. And settling in with a beautiful story and a hot cup of tea (British Breakfast with cream and raw honey)? That'll make my whole day.

Line-dried Laundry... Laundry, especially sheets, dried in the sun and breeze? Best. Thing. Ever.

The Sea... I was born on the North Sea and someday, I'll once again live near the water. It soothes my soul and brings me peace. And when I feel that all my stuff is just too big to deal with, the vastness of the ocean reminds me just how small I really am.

Word Art... I love it when someone takes beautiful words and makes beautiful art with them.

Sky Watching... One of my favorite-ever things is taking my dog to the park on the weekends. When the weather is nice, we always have a lie-down in the grass after our walk. He snoozes, I use him for a pillow, and I just watch the clouds pass by. It's pretty much the best hour of my week.

So, when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when you're feeling sad... what cheers you up?

To be continued...