Thirty-four Days

It rained today.  It has been 34 days since we had rain in the Bay Area.  That’s a long time – for winter.

I smiled today because I overheard someone announce that it was raining and another lady smiled and said, “I’m gonna love drifting off to sleep tonite!” 

I love rain, but it is pretty sweet when you hear things like that anticipation.  

Gotta love that cozy, snuggly, sound of rain!

J

Cookies in the Freezer

Today, I baked.  I also sewed, did laundry, cut hair, cleaned up, and fixed the phone problem with help from a friendly guy on chat. 

But – the thing that made me smile the most is knowing that from my mixing and baking and forming and freezing – there are trail mix cookies, and berry muffins in the freezer.  These go along with the pumpkin bread and ranger cookies I put in there a couple of weeks ago.

Having these little goodies in the freezer is so convenient – you can take a loaf of bread or a few muffins with you when you visit a friend who is sick or recovering or you can bake a dozen cookies when the friends of the kids show up and want to play games and hang out. 

Yep – I’m ready for anything – well, almost anything with cookies in my freezer!

J

To Be Educated

"To be educated doesn't mean you know everything.It simply means that you know how to learn--that you have  a thirst for knowledge, and that you continue to ask questions, continue to seek the truth, and continue to build character."

J

Contentment

"Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty."


Socrates

J

Around the Water Cooler

It was a busy day again in the back yard.  There were lots of squirrels running around with peanuts in their mouths, lots of birds flying around.  A big blue jay came hopping in on the deck rail to see what was happening.

Mostly the robins were hanging around the birdbaths.  They were just shooting the breeze, getting caught up on the latest gossip.  Comparing nest eggs, having a drink or two and loving the sunshine.

J

Raindrops on Roses

I've been considering my favorite things lately.  There are so many, it would be difficult for even Rogers & Hammerstein to put them into a song.

So here are a few of my favorite things:

~Conversations with my kids – they are practically all adults now and they are individuals.  It’s amazing to have a conversation with someone you’ve known since before they were born.  It’s humbling and enlightening.

~Rain – I love it, I think because I was born in Seattle, I need it too.

~The smile you see in someone’s eyes before it gets to their mouth.

~Letters in the mail – old fashioned, but so sweet.

~Someone’s laughter wafting through the house – this never fails to make me smile.

~A new pattern or new fabric…..or both.

~A quick wit or word plays that make me think.

~The way a smile speaks volumes at any age and at any time.

J

Bridges

I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite things lately. 

One of my favorite things is bridges– the kind that let you go to new places.

We have quite a few bridges in the Bay Area – some of them are very well known and have their own songs.  I love traveling over a bridge.  First of all, they are a marvel to me of engineering – they still amaze me.  Second, they let you, usually, go a bit above it all and see things with a new perspective.

The Richmond/San Rafael Bridge is a high one – there’s a pretty great view from up there.  I have a friend who really doesn’t like the height of that bridge.  This bridge has over 11 million travelers a year. The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge is the workhorse, taking over 38 million vehicles back and forth across the Bay in a given year.

The San Mateo is a pretty cool bridge because it hovers just over the water, with really spectacular views of the Bay on each side.  Fourteen million travelers head east or west on this bridge.  The Dumbarton Bridge is south of us and carries only 8 million vehicles in a year. 

The most famous one though is the Golden Gate – a really great looking bridge.  I would rather walk out onto this one – you can see so much more if you are on foot.  It’s a treat to see this bridge in clear weather or foggy – it’s red color lighting up the horizon. 

Just some of the bridges that make me smile…

J