For Crying Out Loud

1. Smelling the roses that bloom under the living room window. They only bloom for two weeks, but it is at the beginning of summer when we are just opening the windows, so as the sun warms the roses, the scent wafts in the open window and fills the whole room with the smell of roses. It is so short lived, but even more wonderful in its scarcity.
2. Tomatos, raspberries, green beans, zucchini -- straight from the garden. Sun-warmed and eaten out of hand. O Yum! Just can't be duplicated.
3. Knitting a pair of socks (or mittens or sleeves) -- and they are the same! (One is usually a bit longer, wider, whatever. Now, don't go looking too closely at what I have knit for you. That won't do.)
4. Belly laughing with my girlfriends. Really laughing, so hard that tears run down my face, so hard that it is a good idea to empty my bladder before starting, but, of course, that is a bit unpredictable, so . . .
5. Walking around the block at sunset with my husband and being able to watch the water and sky change colors.
6. Bringing home a regular paycheck, and having it be enough to support us.
7. Sitting down in the 'comfy chair' with a good book, and dozing off.
8. Certain music. which music? I don't know; Daddy puts it on. I think Dvorjak (I'm sure that's not how you spell it) is one of the ones I like best. We have several CDs that I got kinda cheap because they were classical.
9. Having a woman that I talked to in the Women's Center come back and say, You helped me. This takes many forms, but is always gratifying. Again, like the roses, the scarcity makes it all the more precious.
10. My vegetarian chili recipe. It wasn't the chili itself that thrilled me, but the process of making it. And the reception it got was pretty terrific too! (One of the kids said, Wow, this is the first time the vegetarian choice looks even better than the regular food.)
11. Laughing with my children. Okay, I like laughing, but when my kids and I get started, I dunno, it feels special.
12. Having a blog entry that people read and comment on. That starts a thoughtful conversation. no set up there! ;-0
Thank you for helping me count my blessings. Thank you being part of my world. Sorry if this is getting too mushy.

I thought of some more things and need to edit some.
13. when Daddy opens the garage door for me in the mornings he leaves before I do, or when I leave and leave the garage door open, and I know he will shut it for me.
14. Knowing that Daddy will prepare the garden for me in the spring, usually planting it or most of it, and put it to bed in the fall. He does all the heavy lifting. If he didn't do that, I probably wouldn't grow a garden and then I would miss joy #2.
14. Seeing something I planted grow and florish. Unfortunately, what goes with this is the devistation I feel when something I planted dies before its time. One of my students brought me cuttings from her mother's lilacs, different varieties than what I have. I rooted 3 of the 4. One took well. The other two were just dead looking sticks, but one had roots attached. After several weeks of watering all three, the one with roots sprouted some leaves. I was soooo thrilled because I was quite sure it was very dead. We have had some very hot weather (for Ohio, sorry Kristen), a week in the 90's, and I missed one morning watering. I was so sad to come home and find the new little leaves all withered.
15. Coming home from work, tired and often frustrated, but mostly just tired, walking into a house that smells of dinner, onions sauteing. In so many ways, it just says, 'I love you.'
16. Daddy's 'experiments' in cooking. They have gotten quite good. He combines things I would never think of putting together (I always start with a recipe -- and go from there) and are getting better and better. It makes it a bit tricky to shop, though, because I will spot something in the store that either looks particularly good, or is in season, and it will go bad bacause Daddy doesn't see it or think of it when he is cooking. We need to perfect that a bit more. If he goes shopping with me, that helps.
17. Going bra shopping with Rae, or rather, having Rae take me bra shopping. There are few things in the world I dread quite as much as bra shopping. I find it a total exercise in frustration. As soon as I walk in the lingerie department, I want to turn around and leave because I am filled with such feeling of anxiety. Rae patiently saw me through the process, and with her help, I actually bought 4 bras and will get a free on in the mai -- eventually.
18. Such a deal! I love finding a real! Bargin. Went to Gabe's on a whim because Mensch needed some work clothes. I found this most awesome pasiley shirt for $2! It will probably need to be ironed, but it is a cool shirt and a great price and a pleasant surprise,

And I need to amend #10. What brings me joy is sharing good food with people I enjoy. If I have made the food and it is well received, that is all the more special.