Happy Thanksgiving!

I awoke

this morning

with devout

thanksgiving for

my friends, the

old and the new.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am so thankful for all of you. Whether you're a longtime visitor (coming up on seven years!) or new to this little blog of mine, I am very grateful for your friendship, love and support. I wish you a lovely day with your family and friends.

Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest-home;

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.

Henry Alford

"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come," 1844

Life Is Good - June

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my monthly blessings.

So what made me smile (or laugh) last month?

• Window washers. Love my clean windows!
• Frontline. More than 30 ticks removed from Annie-Dog (over one weekend!).
• A touching Facebook post by my nephew:

  I've got gas in my tank, food on my plate and even a place to sleep. I should never complain about a damn thing again.

• A beautiful bride and a beaming groom.
• A mini-family reunion in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Eardrums still intact (after flying with a terrible head cold)!
• My first Trail Trek.
• A new fountain for our deck.
• Rain!
• Ice-cold beer on a hot summer evening.
• Beautiful colors in our garden. 
• A monthly total of 66.47 miles ridden on my bike.

Life is Good - May

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my monthly blessings.

So what made me smile (or laugh) last month?

• Strawberry ice cream before dinner.
• A hummingbird feeding at one of my potted plants on my deck!
• Buying my husband a new bike for his birthday.
• A 60th birthday celebration with friends from California.
• A 50-mile ride in the countryside (spotted 2 deer, a wild turkey, orioles, cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, goldfinches and a heron).
• A new bike jersey.
• A delicious (and simple) new recipe for bolognese.
• Two excellent nonfiction reads (Little Princes and Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs). Reviews forthcoming.
• Godiva Chocolate.
• Movie night with a good friend (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel).
• A monthly total of 154 miles ridden on my bike.

Life is Good - April

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my monthly blessings.

So what made me smile (or laugh) last month?

• 5 years as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble.
• 5 years in a smoke-free house. (Congratulations to my husband!)
• Discovering a delicious recipe for lasagna. (Thank you, Trisha!)
• Easter brunch with good friends. (Thanks, Shirley!)
• Two superb thrillers. (Gone by Mo Hayder and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn)
• Early tornado warnings.
• Onguard Weather Alerts for Android. (see above)
• 94 miles on my bike. (Thanks, Katie!)
• Ice cream before dinner!
• Gentle spring rain.
• Covered porch with rocking chairs.
• Tulips, columbine, bleeding heart

Life Is Good - March

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my monthly blessings.

So what made me smile (or laugh) last month?

• Hitting the trails on my bike. The weather's been phenomenal! 50 miles logged in March.
• Temps in the 80s. 'Nuf said.
  
• A signed copy of The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (followed by several lovely messages via Facebook).
• A gorgeous long-stem snapdragon from a favorite customer as a thank you for all my book recommendations.
• Spring flowers blooming early! (Tulips, Bleeding Hearts, Lilacs, etc.)
• A week in Hawaii with my parents and biking partner.
• Breakfast with my beautiful daughter (and boyfriend) at the Grand Hyatt DFW.
• Downton Abbey.
• Dental insurance for two crowns (his, not mine).
• Keurig customer service. Replacement with no hassle.

Life Is Good - February

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my weekly monthly blessings.

So what made me smile (or laugh) this past month?

• Friday night pizza (with Italian sausage & homemade meatballs).
• My husband walking Annie-Dog when it's -1 with a windchill of -14.
• Red roses.
• Memory foam pillow.
• Compliments from strangers on my photography exhibit in the B&N cafe.
• Senior citizen discount offer for Southern Living. Ha!
  
• 2 books in the mail from a friend.
  
• Discovering that Tana French has a new book coming out in July!
• The sign of spring -- daffodils poking up through the mulch.
• Sharing the couch to nap with Annie-Dog on a Sunday afternoon.
• Saturday morning coffee & scones at Cafe Italia with Rod.
• Billy Crystal and Chris Rock.
• Packing for a tropical getaway.
  
• Outpouring of love on February 17th.
  

Life Is Good

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my weekly blessings.

So what made me smile this past week?

• A positive health report from Depoe Bay, Oregon!
• Fresh, inexpensive flowers from Trader Joe's.
• Getting carded!
• Catching up with my girl friends over dinner and drinks.
• A perfectly ripe avocado.
• An amazing steak. Thank you, Julia Child!
• Record-breaking temp (69 degrees!) on January 30th.
• Wearing shorts in January!
  

Life Is Good

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my weekly blessings.

So what made me smile last week?

• Heated car seats!
• Friendly customers.
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Campbell's Tomato Soup (Who says dinner has to be complicated?!)
• Listening to my husband play his guitar (serenading our dog while she eats her breakfast) at 5:30 a.m.
  
• Homemade turkey soup.
• A full day of nothing but cooking, blog-hopping and reading. Pure bliss.
• The scent of woodsmoke in the air.
  
• Little girls giggling with their mama at the park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
  
• Leftover oatmeal pancakes (slightly chilled) with peanut butter.
• A freshly groomed dog.

Life Is Good

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my weekly blessings.

So what made me smile last week?

• Another 3-day weekend.
• Beautiful winter sunsets.
  
• A peaceful morning walk with Annie-Dog. What a gorgeous sunrise this morning!
  
• Organized closets and pantry. What a good feeling.
• 4 large bags of clothing donated to the Goodwill.
• Dining room wall & ceiling are finally repaired! Time to paint.
  
• Up-to-date on book reviews and emails.
  
• A delicious meal (flat-iron steak with shrimp risotto) and a relaxing evening with good friends.
• An hour-long massage. Ahhhhhhhhh.
• Books in the mail from three dear friends.
  
• Sunshine.

Life Is Good

Remember Mary-Chapin Carpenter's hit Passionate Kisses? I heard it on the radio the other day and it made me stop and think about some of the things that make me happy.

It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my weekly blessings. I was going to label this post "Passionate Kisses," but the potential for questionable Google search hits made me re-evaluate that choice.

So what made me smile last week?

• A comfortable bed that won't hurt my back. We finally got a new mattress set. Our old bed was almost 14 years old. No more back aches!
• Jeans that fit! I love my new jeans from Eddie Bauer. They're so soft and comfy; I splurged and bought a couple of pairs in each color (dark rinse, black, gray and regular denim blue).
• 4-day weekend! Exactly what I needed after the stress of a very busy holiday season.
• New work schedule that gives me a 3-day weekend every week!
• Catching up on book reviews.
• Listening to cds on my new Bose.
• Starting the year off with 3 great books.
• A 68-degree-day in January in Lincoln, Nebraska. Amazing.
• Tickets booked to a tropical paradise.
  
• And, yes. Passionate kisses.
  

Passionate Kisses

Is it too much to ask
I want a comfortable bed that won't hurt my back
Food to fill me up
And warm clothes and all that stuff
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have all of this, and

Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you

Is it too much to demand
I want a full house and a rock and roll band
Pens that won't run out of ink
And cool quiet and time to think
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have all of this, and

Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you

Do I want too much
Am I going overboard to want that touch
I shout it out to the night
"Give me what I deserve, 'cause it's my right"
Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I)
Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I)
Shouldn't I have all of this, and

Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you

Go here to listen to Passionate Kisses on YouTube.