The weather here in Southern California had been overcast and gray for a week or so, but today dawned sunny and clear ... perhaps in honor of Thanksgiving?
Here's a partial Gratitude List off the top of my head:
1. The sound of the waves and the salty smell of the ocean in the early mornings when I rise & at night when I'm drifting off to sleep.
2. My "happily retired life" and all the freedom it brings.
3. Family, friends, and neighbors ... I'm blessed to have each one in my life.
4. New "virtual" friends and acquaintances here in the Blogosphere. I'm pleased to meet so many of you this month and enjoy the interactions on your Blogs and mine. Thanks for the time you spend to make your posts interesting and for stopping by to read & comment here.
5. My transformed front yard ... well worth the effort required to make it so.
6. Molly and Ms. Kitty who share my life ... providing opportunities for exercise and laughter.
7. Books and writers everywhere who expand my world exponentially every day. As one of my favorite t-shirts says: "So many books, so little time."
8. Trader Joe's ... just minutes from my home.
9. The smell of coffee in the morning and Starbuck's Christmas Blend (regular & decaf) beans to brew in my Cuisinart "grind & brew" coffeepot with a timer.
10. My trusty Dell Inspiron 9100 laptop -- almost 5 years old but going strong. Fast enough for "streaming data from e-signal" and Blogging all at the same time.
11. My "all-in-one" printer/copier/scanner/fax machine, Casio Exilim digital camera, Palm Life Drive, LG cell phone, tiny but mighty WD external hard drive, Cable TV-Internet- Nationwide phone service connections (all-in-one), and all the other "conveniences" in my life including (but not limited to) my washer & dryer, dishwasher, microwave and conventional ovens, shredders, etc. Who knew such gadgets would become so much a part of everyday life? (And no ... I didn't forget because don't have a GPS, iPod, MP3 player, and lots of other "necessities" ... at least not yet anyway.)
12. Music of all kinds ... (see Thailand Gal's post on this topic)
13. All the experiences in my life thus far (good, bad, & interesting) shaping who I am, and all the experiences yet to come leading me to who I will be ... someday.
A "baker's dozen" seems appropriate, so I'll stop here (though I'm sure more things will come to mind the minute I post this). Such is life. For now ... I offer
Hugs and blessings,
Welcome to Small Reflections
"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Duck photo source: Lisa's Chaos
I hope you enjoy your visit. If you're looking for something specific, check out the links to posts by category in my sidebar and down a ways. They'll assist with tracking down different types of posts found on each of my three blogs. You might also enjoy checking out the other sites: Sacred Ruminations, Blog Rolls, Bling & Blurbs, and Happily Retired Gal.I hope you'll look around & leave comments
then visit me at my new blog ...
Giraffe Journal
and/or website ... Labyrinth Journal
both self-hosted at WordPress
where I publish as myself
rather than under a
pseudonym.
then visit me at my new blog ...
Giraffe Journal
and/or website ... Labyrinth Journal
both self-hosted at WordPress
where I publish as myself
rather than under a
pseudonym.
Thanks for your visit and have a delightful day ;--)
Hugs and blessings,
Thursday, November 22, 2007
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11 comments:
Lovely list, Storyteller! I think the one I'm most envious of is the ocean's sounds and smells day and night--I actually invested in a machine to give me the sound of the ocean, but alas, there's nothing on the market to give me the smells. You are blessed!
I'd forgotten about the front yard transformation--any chance of some pictures posted on the blog?
Karen,
Thanks for the feedback. Yez ... blessed I am, indeed :-)
Well ... I suppose could make one of those Picasa picture grids like I did with photos of Molly & Ms. Kitty. I appreciate the suggestion and will do that soon.
So ... is life back to normal at your house today?
Hugs and blessings,
What a truly awesome list Storyteller. #1 would be like heaven to go to sleep to and wake up to....I'd love that. I most definitely have to agree with you personally on the following....
#3 ~ Family & Friends...the fiber that holds us all together.
#4 ~ Virtual friends...an amazing group of souls that share their feelings and thoughts with us every day of our lives.
#10 ~ My computer...for all the obvious reasons. It's the life support machine we're all hooked up to.
#12 ~ Music...I can't imagine a day in my life without it. It replenishes our minds and bodies.
#13 ~ Experiences...You are so right...good and bad alike..they are our make-up....who we've become...and who we continue to be.
You are very blessed dear lady....
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment. I'm beaming from ear to ear! I figured you'd be out driving that lovely new Hybrid of yours! Several of my friends drive hybrids (Prius and Mazda methinks) and if I had the money I might invest, but since my car is paid for and has just 53,000 miles on it (accumulated over the 8 years I've owned it), I don't think I'm going to take the plunge. It's fine for my needs and it doesn't get driven much anyway :)
Hugs and blessings my friend,
If by normal you mean three temper tantrums (two in public, well-populated places), a house that looks as though it hasn't been cleaned in a couple of weeks, six and half hours of sleep rather than eight, and about six lines of writing rather than several pages, then yes, things are back to normal.
But then there's also the other normal I'd forgotten--lots of hugs and kisses, being called "sweetie" by a four year old, new drawings to hang up, and just seeing the joy on two people's faces at being home.
On the SacredRuminations blog, you mentioned the 37-Day Complaint Free Challenge--I don't know if I could pull it off, but a good place to start is focusing on that second part of normal. There's so much good in life.
And I think the picture grid idea would be neat!
Karen,
Ah ... yez. Balance ... permits us to see the good & bad in everything and embrace it all ... choosing where we wish to put our attention. I sensed you’d see both sides … and choose wisely :)
I've not decided about the Complaint-Free Challenge yet. I've been following some interesting discussions among several bloggers and may just wait and see. I certainly don't have much to complain about these days :)
However, while I was watering my yard a little while ago, my neighbors told me fires were burning in Malibu and around Ramona again ... and, of course, the Santa Ana winds are blowing. I'm hoping our fire-fighters will get them under control quickly so we don't have a repeat of last month! Now ... does that qualify as a complaint, or is it simply a recognition and/or acknowledgment of "what is" ??? I just don't know if I want to quibble and/or focus my attention on such things right now.
Hugs and blessings,
This is a wonderful gratitude list, Virginia! I have never lived close to the sea, but I've visited friends who did and it was amazing. Twice I was where I could fall asleep to the sound of waves and awaken to it.
Ok, now I have to try that Starbucks Christmas blend.
Kikopotamus
I've lived here since July of 1980 and love the coastal weather. The ocean temperature is a stabilizing force that keeps us cool in summer and warmer in winter. And of course, Molly loves Dog Beach ... just 9 blocks away.
Starbuck's Christmas Blend is only available for about 6 to 8 weeks, but it's a tasty one. I also enjoy the Holiday and Winter Blends (similarly available for this brief time) and sometimes stock up so I can enjoy these coffees through January and February.
Karen
I should have just posted current yard photos instead of trying to show the transition, but I've got the first one posted and the second collage in progress. If I'd realized how much time this would take, I might have passed :)
Not! It's good for me to get this kind of practice (or that's what I've been telling myself this afternoon). Let's see ... does that quality as "complaint" or not?
Hugs and blessings,
This is a great list ... thanks for stopping by my writing project, 10 Rules. It's great to meet you and so glad you have found some new bloggers to check out. It can get rather addictive in that first few months .. enjoy!
Shawn,
Thanks for following me back here and leaving your comments. I'll be busy for quite a while because I just found your "Someday I will ..." project and did the same thing. This could take WEEKS! (but, of course I love it all)
Hugs and blessings,
Onedia - I have "turkeys" who pass my yard and leave "unmentionables" ... but that's part of living at the beach I guess. (I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist ... and typing this reminds me of a time I said "in jest" to a student she was being "a turkey" who responded without missing a beat "I'm and EGRET, not a turkey!") ROFLOL
Sometimes I miss classroom life ... sometimes :)
I'm sure the turkeys in YOUR yard are wonderful and I guess we all make "trade-offs" to live where we do.
Hugs and blessings,
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