1 through 10.

 Linky bits

1. Rain! We have not had good soaking rain for awhile, and everything was brown, dusty, and the plants and trees looked downright discouraged.  There was much rain with the recent storm, and everything looks bright and green again. We've had a couple rainfalls since, and it just invigorates the plants. 

2. Chocolate chip cookies. 

Well... How about cookies, generally. I love to bake, and I can get so creative with a cookie base. I adore chocolate, but I actually enjoy making "Junk Cookies", which is a Toll House base, and then toss in whatever junk looks good. Oatmeal, peanuts, peanut butter, chips of various flavors, coconut, and several other things have gone into them from time to time. (When I first tried it, marshmallows, and gummy bears were attempted. A very, VERY bad idea. Very bad... Shudder. I have learned much since then.)

3. The clocks in our front room. They are slabs that my FIL made into clocks, and they are lovely. They also tick, so I can listen, and relax. Much nicer than the low pitch buzz of an electric one. 

4. Texting. Oddly, Husband and I use that a lot. We can get quick notes to one another, very useful when a grocery list is still on the table! Also nice for sharing articles, jokes, even pictures, and we can still chat, even if we aren't near one another. 

5. Young people. Small kids always make me think that the exclamation point was developed especially for them. Energy, curiosity, and just GO!  

6. Older people. While the exclamation point is for kids, I think the ellipse (...) fits the older ones. Not as prone to flying around crazily, but more prone to memories and consideration. 

7. My flannel shirt. I refer to it as my coat, I wear it when the fall weather slips in for the season, and it gets retired temporarily after spring. It's light, warm, and isn't fussy. 

That is vital when I might be in the house nothing happening, out cleaning the chicken house, walking in the woods, or helping Husband with some thing or other. One coat, many jobs. 

8. Flowers. I had bought a "shade mix" for my planter boxes on the porch. There are so many different ones, along with a rose that my parents bought me, some lilies that are just now saying so long for the season, and some petunias that had a hard struggle this season, but still are working on throwing out some blossoms here and there... 

9. Ding's fascinating box obsession. I had set a plain cardboard box on the floor, and she has claimed it as her own. She climbs in and out of it. She nuzzles it. She pushes it around the room, from time to time. She loves it, so, I decided, it's an official cat toy now. (I bought glow in the dark ping pong balls and set them in the box. She ignored them. Guess I can't win 'em all.) 

10. Notes from friends. I received a letter from a friend across the state. It's so nice to hear from her, she lets me know about her pup, what is going on in her area, just a blink of life where she is, and I respond with my sights and goings on. Another friend is a few states over, and it is a much different view, but no less interesting, for the effort... 

Enjoy your week, one and all!