1) A lovely fire in the woodstove. In the depths of winter, I keep two fires going from the time I get up until bedtime, and we all tend to sit close, one side warm and the other cold. (There are some wicked drafts in my 200-year-old house.) Now that it's spring, I start a fire when the sun goes down and the temperatures drop into the low forties or high thirties. Just a couple logs in and the whole room is cozy. It's almost as easy and rewarding as switching on a gas flame.
2) New nail polish. I've just put on a shade I got in a little gift basket from a friend, and now my fingernails are the same shade as ballerina's kid slippers. It lifts my heart whenever I see them - which, let's face it, is quite a lot. I have forty-some bottles already, so it isn't like I needed another one... but it sure is nice.3) Manatees. In videos. Yes, I watch videos of manatees. They're ridiculously soothing, and yes, I know about the challenges they have with their environment. I need to send a donation to the Everglades Foundation. Because we can all use some peaceful aquatic mammals in our lives.
4) Sleeping in. Okay, I don't get to indulge in this much, since I drive Youngest to high school five days a week and try to make it to church on Sundays (if she has a late-night thing on Saturday, all bets are off.) In addition, my Shih Tzu, Louis, is getting on in years, and his bladder tends to wake him up at the crack of dawn. But on those mornings when the stars align, and I sleep till ten, it's heaven.Related:
4a) Sunday afternoon naps. Scientifically proven to be the best sleep of the week.
5) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's new baby boy. Named Louis! Just like my dog! Also, I die every time I see they way little George and Charlotte are dressed. Why can't we revive tiny tweed knickers and smocked dresses in this country? (Please don't tell me no one is the UK dresses their children like that either. I want to believe.)6) RESOLVE(TM) Pet Expert Carpet Cleaner and Arm & Hammer Pet Deodorizer. See: aging dog's bladder, above.
7) Free range eggs scrambled, over easy or made into omelettes. With the lengthening days, my friend Mary's hens wake up and get to work. Let's not tell them their efforts to populate the world with hundreds of new chickens will mostly wind up as gloriously full-flavored, brilliantly yellow breakfasts.
8) Reading good books. Here at JRW, we've talked about what we've been reading recently and what looks interesting from yesterday's crop of Edgar Award winners. After a rather fallow winter, I've finally hit a streak of great reads. The feeling you have after putting down a wonderful book is matched only by the pleasure of picking up the next equally anticipated tome from your TBR pile.
9) Related: Home, garden and travel magazines. Give me a two-page picture of a Maldives resort and an article about everything I should do while there, and I'm in bliss. "Gosh, at two thousand a night inclusive, it's not bad," I say to myself, ignoring the fact that the Maldives will be underwater by the time I have enough spare change to vacation there.
I'm also fond of going over articles about adventure travel as if I, a person who complains about her knees after three blocks, might really hike up Machu Picchu or go cave diving. Of course, I'd have to buy lots of gear (there's an article about that) but I can cover it with the funds left over from my Maldives trip.
10) Being part of this blogging community. Not just my sister Reds - I look forward to visiting with all of you every day. Thanks for brightening my life, dear readers!
Now it's your turn: what are the things making you happy these days?
