The Cat's Got My... Heart

I'm a dog person. I've always been a dog person. I love their furry, slobbery, waggy-butt selves. Everything about them makes me happy. I've had a dog since I was nine and I will likely have one until I'm 99. I love dogs.

I'm a dog person.

I've never been a cat person.

I don't dislike them. They're fine. I just never wanted one. But my daughter did. And so, when we were able, we got one. Rue. And she's lovely. She's a bit stand-offish, as cats (in my experience) are wont to be, but she's sweet and affectionate in her way. She loves our dog and he... likes... her. Everything was going along just fine.

And then I took a client into our local cat shelter for a cuddle visit.

While we were there, this little orange kitten dove at me. I caught him and held him like a baby. He promptly reached his little paws out, grabbed my hand, and started sucking on my finger like a pacifier. He fell dead asleep and stayed that way for the entire time I was at the shelter.

Uh oh.

My heart.

I got his story from the shelter workers. He'd been abandoned by his mama at just a day or two old. No one knows why. His foster family bottle-fed him until he was old enough to eat on his own and go to the shelter. As a result, he seemed to be under the impression that he was a human baby. A 3-month-old, fuzzy, 4-legged, human baby.

Oh, my heart.

I texted Ryan and told her about him. She went down later that afternoon to see him.

And we both went back later that evening and adopted him.

(Pip, Day One)

Two cats. We had two cats. Actually, we had one cat and one kitten. And our cat wasn't crazy about the kitten. We felt really guilty at first, thinking we'd ruined her life. She eventually warmed up to him. Mostly.

We called him Pip, after the character in Great Expectations. He is known by many variations of his name, including Pipsqueak, Pipster, Pippy Longstocking, as well as (the more appropriate) Monster, Little Red Menace, Rotten, Fatso, Chubby Checker, Chunkenstein, and Piggy (he'll eat anything, and I mean anything, and he has to be confined in another room at mealtime).

He's a handful.

 

I have never met a cat like this one. To be fair, I haven't met that many cats. But Pip is perhaps the most loving creature I've ever known (possibly because he was babied like a human when he was tiny)... and he's also the evilest. He's a toddler in the throes of the Terrible Twos, but in feline-form. When he's very quiet, you have to look for him because he's usually up to some sort of mischief. But when he's through being the rottenest of rotten things, he will dive at me, making this growly sound that I imagine is him saying, "Mama mama mama mama," hit me hard, and suck on one my fingers 'til he falls asleep.

It gets me every time. The puddles of drool the suckling creates, however, I could really do without.

I can't sit down without him sitting on me. He can't get close enough. And I can't get enough of his snuggles.

  

Though he's getting older, the mischief is still strong in him. We find him in unusual places (and he has prompted the purchase of child-proof locks for the cabinets and pantry)...

 

His brother and sister love him. Sort of. Mostly. Sometimes. They tolerate him, anyway... 

As for me, well, I still don't think I'm a cat person. But this cat? Well, I love this particular cat more than I ever imagined it possible to love a cat. He's not even a year old yet and I simply cannot imagine life without him. 

He is my baby. My sweet, soft, snuggly, rotten, mischievous, demon-spawn, funny, love-bug of a baby-cat. And he has my heart - utterly and completely (and surprisingly). But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love him. 

What's the Plan, Stan?

I like plans. I like thinking about them, making them, having them.

I do not always follow them, however. 

But that's not what this post is about.

When Life is stressful or worrisome, it helps to look forward. To plan something to look forward to. 

Summer vacation was the plan on tap this week.

Ryan and I go on week-long camping trips every summer. I've been taking her since she was two (the first couple of trips with her dad as a reluctant participant). We do this for a few reasons. First, the vacations of my childhood were taken in a tent and they were the very best days of my summers. I wanted to make sure Ryan had those experiences as well. Second, connecting with nature and being able to completely unplug for a week is good for the body, mind, and soul. Third, camping is much cheaper than staying in a hotel and, given our budget issues, it's really the only way we'd get any sort of decent holiday every year. 

We've camped from Maine to Florida and back to Maine, always staying in state or national parks. We learned the hard way that south is not the direction to go in August (and we always go in August, as we wait until swim season is over). One of our favorite parks is Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, Florida, but after a trip during the hottest week of the entire year, we decided we would only ever travel north. 

Heatstroke is a bitch, yo.

For this summer, we considered Cape Cod (one of my favorite trips when I was a kid) and upstate New York (Finger Lakes and Thousand Lakes areas). In the end, we decided on Canada - La Mauricie National Park in Quebec province, to be specific. 

Halfway between Montreal and Quebec city, there are promising day-trips on the agenda, between hiking, paddling, biking, and generally lazing around on the banks of Lake Wapigazonke. 

That name seriously makes me giggle.

Wapigazonke.

Heh.

But look at this place... 

How fabulous is that view? 

I made the reservation and got a pleasant little surprise... the exchange rate! So the cost for seven nights in that majestic place is less than one night in a hotel at any vacation destination in the country. 

Can't beat it, baby!

In less than six (short) months, we'll be heading north, for a week of peace, quiet, and cool nights in a tent... 

(The orange one is mine.)

This week, when things were feeling less-than-stellar, it felt really good to put some plans into place... plans that will lead to something really good. 

Life is hard. It's peaks and valleys, ups and downs... and planning an up when you're in a down can make all the difference in the world.

This I know for sure.

It's Gonna Be a Good Spring

After meeting with the Regional Director the local chapter of Special Olympics this afternoon, I'm feeling really excited about the next few months!

On February 29th, after several years without an area swim program, we plan to have a bunch of Special Olympics athletes in the pool! I'll be coaching, along with my co-worker, Paula (a lifeguard instructor and long-time swim teacher). It was slow-going to get all the information and support we needed, but it's really happening now.

We've had some good response and I actually know several of the people who have signed up thus far. One of the "kids" used to come into the video store I worked in when I was in college. He has Down Syndrome as was the happiest little boy I'd ever met. I'm looking forward to seeing if he's still a little - well, now a big - ray of sunshine.

There's already a big regional meet scheduled for the end of April, we'll likely do a smaller invitational meet at our pool in May, and there's the BIG statewide event in Richmond in June. I'm already excited at the prospect of being a part of it all!

Over the years, I've volunteered for many different organizations and causes. Every single one of those experiences was positive and left a lasting impression. But this one? Well, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to this one more than any other. My current job has given me a new appreciation for just how special certain people can be... and for just how lucky I am to be able to experience their special-ness firsthand.

And now I get to combine some pretty special people with WATER!

And we all know how I feel about water.

Yup.

It's gonna be a good spring.

The Board Called: "Other Stuff I Like"

Do you have a Pinterest account? Do you love it? I lurve Pinterest. I really do. I'm a very visual person and I find that little piece of Heaven-on-the-Internet, well, a little piece of Heaven. On the Internet. I love being able to go to one place and see hundreds (OK, thousands) of pictures of things I like, things I find beautiful, things that inspire me, things that make me laugh, things that are useful. I also love being able to look at my kid's Pinterest boards, to see what she finds beautiful, inspirational, funny, useful. It's a glimpse into her head that always leaves me feeling happy and proud of the person she is and of the way she views the world.

I have just over 40 boards. They cover every topic that interests me, from travel, to decorating, to books, to art, to pretty boys (what? I'm 50, I'm not dead). My biggest board is House Plans. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an architect. Then I found out math was involved and I gave up on that idea fast. But I'm fascinated by floor plans, especially those of mid-century and older houses. I always (always) change them, though; I add rooms, take down walls, move doorways, etc. It's my go-to activity when I'm bored or worried. And you want to know something weird? One of my favorite house styles is the bungalow and one of my favorite building eras is the 1920's. Well, just over a year ago, I moved into a 1928 bungalow, the (nearly identical) floor plan for which I had pinned many, many times. I didn't even realize it, though, until I was looking over my board one day and saw the same basic house - my house - in several different plans. Cool sort of coinkeydink, no?

Anyway, though my boards cover every possible topic, I still found pictures of things on Pinterest that didn't really fit into any of my major categories. So I started a board called "Other Stuff I Like." I throw all kinds of stuff into it - stuff that doesn't really belong anywhere else in my account. Today, I decided to go through that board and pick 10 random items to share here. I went to the very first pin, then scrolled with my eyes closed. The first image I saw when I opened my eyes was the one I chose. 

Here they are... 

This is the first image I pinned to the Other Stuff board. It makes me happy - from the composition of the picture, to sight of such exuberance, to the puddle-jump itself. Happy!

I don't really know what this is... a geode or rock, maybe? I just think it's really beautiful.

Camping. One of my favorite activities. This picture actually looks like a place I've camped.

This series of pictures made me laugh. They are the cutest couple and you don't often see such spontaneity in old photos. Happy!

When Ryan was very small, she was coloring and she noticed that the 'flesh' crayon didn't look much like her flesh. She asked me why there was only one called 'flesh' where there were lots of different kinds of skin. I had no good answer. So this picture made me happy.

Oh my word, I love this little guy. I have a thing for sheep and for little felted animals. He makes me smile. He's actually sold on Etsy, in a shop called BinneBear, which you can find right here, if you're so inclined to look (I was inclined to look... and I wanted All. The. Critters.).

I love this photo for its simplicity, for the color of the eggs (my favorite), and for the way it represents home. It's just lovely.

Riddikulus is the spell from Harry Potter, used to transform fears into something humorous. It's a spell I often wish I could perform. Plus, that's where I have my tattoo, though mine says something different. Maybe this will be my second tattoo... hmmm...

I think I pinned this because I simply liked this picture - the blue sky, the white clouds, the fresh, clean laundry. It's simple and sweet and it makes me smile.

When I pinned this, I thought it was simply a very cool, painted rock. I have to say that upon closer inspection, I find it a tad creepy. However, I keep a square glass vase on my desk, full of rocks from Maine and they look just like these (minus the moon-faced one).

There are over 500 more pictures of other stuff I like on that board. I'm sure I'll share some others on another gloomy, grey Sunday.

So, what would be on your "Other Stuff I Like" board?

Good Day, Sir. I Said, Good Day!

I'm reading a book at the moment that references happiness quite often - and how real happiness is found, not in the big events in our lives (well, not just in those events), but in the ordinary moments of ordinary days, where we smile, laugh, feel good, see beauty.

I believe this is true. With my whole heart.

Over the years, I've done lots of posts about my favorite things - the things that make me happy. Here's one of them, right here, but they're all over December 2013 and earlier in the blog (though I'm too tired right now to go looking for them). Those posts make me happy.

Lots of things make me happy.

And while this is most certainly true, sometimes, in the day-to-day busy-ness (and laziness), I forget to notice those things.

So, today? Well, today I decided to really pay attention. I decided to write down every little thing that made me smile, laugh, or just feel good. I started first thing and just finished. I probably missed a couple and I expect there will be more things to add to the list before I go to bed.

But here they are:

• The way my favorite pen flows and how my handwriting looks when I use it
• The feeling of satisfaction I get when I pay a bill
• The warm spray of water from the shower, especially on a cold morning
• An empty sink and kitchen counters clear from any clutter
• Little things that remind me of my dad and of things he used to say (like "Ooh, I fancy a piece and jam")
• Being able to sit for a few quiet minutes in the morning and not rush
• The traffic noises outside my house; I thought I might hate living on a busy street but the noise is oddly comforting
• Sweet soft Irish butter and raspberry jam on fresh artisan bread
• Figuring out that I can use the same tea bag for the tea I have first thing in the morning AND the tea I take to work (why that took me so long, I'll never know)
• That first sip of hot tea in the morning... and the first sip of cold tea in the afternoon
• The fact that my aluminum mug keeps my tea SO hot for SO long!
• (Clearly, I love tea)
• Getting head butts from Rue and that sweet growl-y sound Pip makes when he runs at me for cuddles
• How soft Pip is
• The way Sunny's expression completely changes when he moves only his eyebrows
• (And the things listed above were all before 7am!)
• Ellen "DeGenerous"
• Seeing cool new flags/locations in my blog feed (Doha, Ad Dawhah [Qatar] today)
• Seeing favorite old locations in my feed (even if I don't know who the readers are - Mountain View, CA, thank you for visiting! xo)
• Being able to help make someone else's day just a little bit easier by providing answers to difficult questions
• Knocking things off a full to-do list
• Looking at the pictures of my beautiful daughter I keep on my desk
• Being able to joke with coworkers who completely get my sense of humor (thankfully!)
• Writing in a brand new, beautiful planner
• Having a laugh with kid in the McDonald's drive-thru, at his colossal bungling of my order
• That first sweet taste of chocolate
• Reading a poem, by an author I've never heard of, that resonates deeply within me and brings a sense of Yes! This!
• Filling my whole gas tank up for $20! Squeee!
• Being greeted at the door by a smiley dog and two ready-for-dinner kittens
• Finding a new recipe that looks easy, delicious, AND healthy
• Finding two of my favorite veggies in the freezer (ones Ryan doesn't like) on a night when she's not going to be home for dinner
• While cleaning the litter box, before I've even put the top back on, having Pip get in, squat to pee, and look up me as if to say, "What?" (Little shit)
• A chubby, purring kitten on my chest, his face buried in my neck
• Blog writin'

And last, but certainly not least:

• Realizing just how many moments in my ordinary day were ordinarily-extraordinary ones - ones that caused me to smile, laugh, or just plain feel good!

Was my day perfect? Nope. (Is there such a thing?) Would I even classify it as a great day? Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. But looking at it this way? Listing all the good moments? 

I have to say, it was a good day, man. It was a really good day!

You try it! Write 'em down! I promise you won't be disappointed... and you might be kind of surprised... 

Happy Solstice!

The Winter Solstice is my holiday in the season of holidays. The day we welcome back the light in the northern hemisphere has become, for me, the running start to the new year (where 'running' = 'slowing down and breathing deeply'). It's a day (or, really, an evening) when I turn inward... when I both reflect and look forward, when I express both gratitude and longing, when I dare to hope for a better future... and when I dare to believe that better future is possible.

It's also a day of list-making. 

I make four lists and, after I'm certain they're complete, I burn them, sending all my hopes, dreams, good wishes, and gratitude out into the Universe.

My first list is everything I'm grateful for. I love this list. It's a long one and it always (always) begins with Ryan and Sundance (and this year, with Rue and Pip, the fuzzy, feline additions to our family). It covers big things, like friends and family, work and home, as well as little things, like books and rain and the park and tea (OK, so none of those things are little). And let me tell you, when you list out everything you're grateful for - everything you love - you realize just how damned lucky you are.

The second list is things I wish for others. Of course, I always wish good things for the people I love and those I'm close to, but the real key to this list is that I must wish good things for people I don't love so much. Or even like. Or have a strong desire to smack upside the head regularly. Or people who have hurt me, in both small ways and big. Though you might think otherwise, it's, surprisingly, not-so-hard to do. It forces me to see people in a light other than the one that shines down on them in my day-to-day thoughts of them; it forces me to be kinder than I might want to be. And that? Is a good thing. 

My third list is things I want to let go of. I hold on to a fair bit of negativity, most of which is directed at myself. By writing down the things I want to release, I first have to acknowledge them directly. I have to admit that I hang on to ideas and beliefs that aren't good for me (and might not even be true). And then I have to give deliberate thought - effort - to not doing that anymore. And I've found something really interesting... even though I've written many of the same things down year after year, my grip on several of them is lessening. My belief is wavering. I'm actually letting them go. Slowly, yes, but Life is a process, no? 

The last list is things I want to invite into my life. This is a selfish list, but I think it's an important one. I think we get what we give, so when I write down the things I want (which are never, by the way, things), I also have to think about how I can put those very things out into the Universe. It forces me to be more mindful of what I'm doing and thinking. If I want good, I must do good. I must be good. 

My lists this year were full. They burned brightly and then they were gone, turned to ash and dust, and scattered to the stars. 

By the way, you were all there. In both my gratitude and my wishes for others lists. 

You always are.

Happy Solstice, my peeps. XOXO

Libraries Raised Me

Libraries raised me. Ray Bradbury said it... but his words could have been mine. Libraries raised me.

They nurtured my love of words... and my desire - my need - to tell stories.

When I was 7, I got my first library card. It was pink and it had a little metal plate in the lower right corner. I had to sign my name on it, which proved I was old enough to visit the stacks and choose my own books.

And choose I did.

The library was the first place I was allowed to walk by myself. It seemed miles and miles away, though it was really only about a dozen city blocks. I went every week and I'd check out the maximum number of books, devouring them from Sunday to Friday, to return them on Saturday morning and start all over again.

I loved everything about the library. Everything. The quiet... the smell (oh, the wonderful smell!)... the rows and rows and rows of colorful book spines... the heavy oak tables and the chairs that scraped loudly across the floor when you pulled them out to settle in for a read... the card catalog.

In fact, I'm on the lookout for an old card catalog cabinet for my very own. Can you imagine?

The original search engine.

 

One of my favorite things, though, was to look at the due date cards in the books to see who might have checked them out before me... and when they checked them out before me. I loved the idea that other people - other girls my age - had been checking out the same books for years and years and years before me. I loved to think about how many hands had held the covers and turned the pages and how many people had absorbed the words and cried and laughed and waited breathlessly to see what would happen to characters - to the friends - who seemed so very real.

 



Libraries raised me.

The library was my haven. My happy place. The place that housed the worlds I dreamed of visiting, the people I dreamed of knowing, the adventures I dreamed of having.

I still visit the library, though not so often as I used to. I spend more time in bookstores now, as I like to own my books and not just borrow them. And when I purchase books that turn out not to be ones I want to keep, I donate them to the library. Giving back... in just a tiny way... for all they gave me... for all I gained and learned... for how I grew.

Libraries raised me.

And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

More Good Reads...

It's rainy and cold out today... a perfect day for curling up with a good book and a cup of tea. So I figured I'd list a few more of my favorite reads... you can see my first book post, Reads with Staying Power, right here...

Here's a list of five more, in no particular order:

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

This is not a book to simply read... it's a book designed to help you find your creative center, your creative path, when you're stuck. It's a 12-week program and each week guides you through a new un-sticking process. I've taught writing/creativity classes loosely based on the book, using the methods in it, and I've used them myself when I've been stuck. I should actually break it out again...

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

This is the first book in a series by two brilliant writers (one of whom is Dave Barry, the humor columnist) -- the prequel to the Peter Pan story. It's marketed as a series for young people and, indeed, I read it to Ryan when she was 7 or so, but it's so much more than that (and everyone I've recommended to or bought it for has loved it). The story is so beautifully told; it's complex but not confusing, mature but not pretentious, delightful but not cutesy. I would get so excited reading it out loud that Ryan would put her hand on my arm and say, "Breathe, Mama! Breathe!"

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

This a heartbreaking story set during World War II, at Auschwitz. It focuses on a little boy whose father is the Commandant of the camp. The family lives just outside the fence and the boy, still innocent, believes the people within its confines are working on a farm, treated kindly and fairly. He secretly befriends an imprisoned boy and their friendship results in a devastating turn of events, which reminds us that we're all human, and that our actions have consequences. This little book affected me deeply and I had Ryan read it before we visited the Holocaust Museum in DC the first time.

The Freedom Writers Diary by The Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell

This is the amazing story (stories!) of a teacher who successfully reached and elevated a class full of (supposedly) unreachable and un-teachable high school kids -- primarly through writing. The book is filled with their brilliant, poignant, and heart-wrenching diary entries, which are, at times, incredibly difficult to read. I absolutely sobbed through it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Schaffer and Annie Barrows

I crazy-loved this book! Set just as WWII has ended, it's told strictly in correspondence. The characters are so beautifully developed and I fell in love with each and every one of them. I wanted to move to Guernsey in 1945 and live with them forever. It breaks my heart to know that the author died before the book was completely finished (her niece completed the editing) and she'll never know its success or how it affected people.

Happy Solstice!

Today is the Winter Solstice, also known as My Favorite Day of the Holiday Season. It's my Thanksgiving, my Christmas, and my New Year's Eve, all rolled into one. It's been a sacred day, honored and celebrated, for a long time -- long before any religion incorporated its time and traditions. It's the day I welcome back the sun and the day put all my hopes and fears and wishes and gratitude out into the Universe.

It's a day to reflect and to look forward.

It's very good day.

Every year, on the Solstice, I make lists. I like making lists. They give me a sense of purpose... and accomplishment... and direction.

My Solstice Lists are as follows:

• Things I'm thankful for
• Things I need to let go of
• Things I want for others
• Things I'd like to happen in the coming year

I put a lot of thought into them... a lot of care. They're detailed and specific... and general and sweeping.

After I'm sure I've gotten everything down I need to get down, I burn them. I send everything -- all my thanks, my fears, my hopes, and my wishes -- out and up to the heavens, to the Universe.

I've been told they're prayers... and maybe they are.

I'm OK with that.

In the end, I feel good -- less burdened, less hurried, less worried.

It's a very good day.

Happy Solstice, everyone! May your welcoming back of the sun leave you less burdened, less hurried, and less worried! XO

Reads With Staying Power

A while ago, I did a Facebook meme, which required me to list ten books that affected me... stayed with me... changed me in some way. It was a difficult list to compile, as I think every book I've ever read has affected me in some way.

But, of course, there are some that stay with you longer than others, aren't there?

After I wrote my list (which was actually comprised of twelve books... I'm an overachiever... sue me), I thought of another ten (or thirty) that could have been on it.

So, tonight, I'm going to list five... and then, maybe, five another night... and then, maybe, five another night... and then, maybe...

You get the picture.

Here are the first five in my list... in no particular order:

The Color of Water by James McBride

This is beautifully-written -- a black man's account of his mother's life; his mother -- a woman who raised her twelve black children while denying her own white, Jewish skin. I read this book about 16 years ago, in one sitting, on a plane from Mississippi to New York. I'd been visiting my new baby niece, whose skin was chocolate brown. Mrs. McBride's story is remarkable, and the love with which her son tells it is palpable. It is never far from my nightstand, even today.

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

It took me several years to get through this book. Every time I would start it, the first chapter would nearly do me in and I'd have to put it down for another several months. The book begins with the rape of a black child by white men and moves on to the trial of her father, who kills them. I struggled with the story because I understood her father's actions, but I also believe that taking the law into one's own hands is wrong. There is a part of the book, though, which sums up that conflict and makes it OK... an old (disbarred) lawyer tells the young, idealistic attorney handling the case that it's a highly unusual one, in that if the father is found guilty, justice will be served; and if he is acquitted, justice will be served. It summed up an amazingly well-told story for me.

Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Finding myself somewhat obsessed with the food industry in this country and coming to believe that it, via agri-business, is poisoning us, with support from the government, I was lead by a friend to this book. Michael Pollan writes clearly and compellingly, explaining exactly where our food comes from and exactly how our economy and our health are affected by the processes. It made me angry and interested in learning more about how to support healthy, sustainable farming.

 Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris 

David Sedaris is brilliant... and brilliantly funny. This book made me realize the essayist I would like to become. Sedaris' work makes me howl with laughter, tears streaming down my cheeks, and, at times, makes me tear up because of the honest, poignant manner in which he relays a thought or memory.

Open My Eyes, Open My Soul compiled by Yolanda King and Elodia Tate

I have a very personal connection to this book, which is a compilation of essays on diversity, put together by Martin Luther King's daughter, to honor his birthday. The essays in it are by people like Maya Angelou, Robert Kennedy, and Stevie Wonder... and by 'ordinary' people, too. About ten years ago, I submitted an essay - late - for consideration for submission to this project. Because it was late, I knew I had little chance of being selected but, to my surprise, I received an email from Yolanda King. She said that she'd been so touched by my story, she was going to find a place in the book for it. And she did. I remember the first time I saw it in a bookstore... I was in the airport and there was a display at the front of the store, full of brand new copies. It was all I could do not to open it to my essay and run around the airport squealing, "Look! This is me!"

So, what books have stayed with you?

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String...

Since it's been a long weekend, and it's late, and I'm tired (read: brain dead), I decided to do another Favorite Things post, because they're easy and fun and they make me feel good...

Celtic Crosses: As I've mentioned, I'm not a religious person but I have always loved crosses - especially Celtic crosses. A friend recently told me that they have been spiritual symbols long before they were attached to Christianity, and that made me feel that my affinity for them might be a bit more rational. I used to wear one - silver, purchased in a little store in Scotland, on the North Sea. The chain broke and I haven't worn it since, but I might have to get it out again...

Avocados: Love 'em! I eat a couple every week... cut up in salads, mashed into guacamole, sliced onto grilled cheese sandwiches. And I'm an expert at picking them when they're perfectly ready to eat.

White Mice: When Ryan was a baby, she had a white mouse puppet named Stuart (or, as she called him, Stew-it). She loved that mouse... he went everywhere with her for years and now he sits, all grey and worn, a Band-Aid on his tail, on her bookshelf. Stuart is her Velveteen Rabbit... er, Velveteen Mouse. I love him as much as she does. And since my girl was about two, I've been drawn to all little white mouse toys, figurines, and pictures I see. Even the real ones are kind of cute...

Hand-knitted Anything: My mother used to knit and I always loved getting a new sweater or blanket from her. I used to search for little hand-knitted sweaters for Ryan when she was little and kept several in her 'box of special things.' I'd love to learn to knit, though I don't know that I'll ever have the patience (or coordination) to pick it up or become good at it.

Travel: I have my favorite places, certainly, but the chance to go anywhere from home? Golden. Close by or far away, every trip is anticipated and enjoyed. But being able to use my passport? That's the best.

Public Speaking:  I know it's odd... I know most people hate it... but I truly love being able to do presentations in front of a group of people, small or large. I've periodically had jobs that have enabled me to do just that, and it's always my favorite part of my job description.

Collaging: I've never been very good at any sort of visual art but I love to collage. Spending an afternoon cutting pretty or interesting pictures out of magazines takes me to a very Zen place... and being able to reassemble them into new pretty or interesting pictures is energizing and strangely cathartic. It's another way to tell stories... and it can generate ideas and topics to write about.

Kayaking: Being in a kayak, alone, on a still lake, is absolutely one of the most relaxing places I've ever been. If I could do it every day, I would. And after a trip to Maine, I want to try sea kayaking... it's on the Bucket List.

Garden Gates: As a child, one of my favorite books was The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and I'm sure that began my fascination with garden gates. I love the idea that whole secret world exists behind them, including fairies and pixies and sprites...

First Snow: I love the first snow... the stillness... softness... as long as I can stay home from work. Snow days? Are even better when you're an adult!

Wishful Thinking: I love wishful thinking... it helps me to zero in on what I want and need, what's important to me, and it helps me to set goals. I wish always... on dandelions, at wishing wells, on birthday candles, first stars, and falling stars. Wishes? Are good things.