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Daily writing prompt
List 30 things that make you happy.
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  1. Dragonflies
  2. Books
  3. Colorado
  4. My bestest friend: my husband
  5. Autumn
  6. Sitting in the shade on a hot day, with a good book, puppy at my feet
  7. My dog Coco, the best puppy in the world!
  8. Hiking
  9. Early morning walks before the sun is up
  10. Reading poetry
  11. Writing poetry
  12. Getting published
  13. Pizza
  14. Football & Basketball, especially NCAA
  15. Photography
  16. Olympic Curling!
  17. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album
  18. Pink Floyd
  19. Dire Straits
  20. Tom Petty
  21. My favorite movie, The Godfather
  22. Long, hot showers
  23. A good thunderstorm with lots of thunder & lightning
  24. Getting some much needed rain
  25. The first snowfall
  26. Halloween: the vibe, the decor, the candy, the fun, Trick or Treaters, the spookiness!
  27. Quilting: FABRIC!!
  28. Getting letters & postcards in the mail
  29. Mackinaw Island
  30. Travel & exploring new places: anything from going down a ‘virgin’ gravel road to visiting (or dreaming about visiting) foreign countries

Wait. There’s more!!

31. Peaches & strawberries

32. A good Cabernet sauvignon

33. Watching Netflix / Hulu / Apple TV series with my husband, preferably at night with the lights out and a candle or two burning low & unobtrusive

34. Thanksgiving

35. The movie All That Jazz, especially the opening number

36. Getting lots of Likes and Comments on my blog posts (!!!)

37. Seeing baby goats run & kick & frolic

38. PUPPIES!!

39. Exploring any art museum

40. Craft shows

41. British TV

42. Baby kittens

43. Old barns

44. Riding my bike

45. Drinking lots of water

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Daily writing prompt
What would you change about modern society?
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This one is easy — I’d love for us to return to the innocence (some might call it naivete) of the world before internet technologies, social media and 24/7 regurgitations poisoned our days. There are benefits, no doubt, but I’ve been wondering for a while now if the cost is just much too high.

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We’re sitting in the living room after supper.

I’m reading – Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret – can’t believe I’ve never read this before! Bill’s on his cell phone, checking the stats for The Open (they don’t like you calling it the British Open!), when suddenly my husband breaks the comfortable silence.

“Let’s go ride our bikes.”

After an eager and enthusiastic start a few years ago – all tricked out with the latest gadgets and gear – bicycling was relegated to the west wall of the garage where Bill’s Trek and my Townie Electra have hung upright the past three years.

Bill checked the bikes over, making sure the tires were all properly inflated and then, per my hesitation, we simply rode around the cul-de-sac / loop where we live.

And it was GLORIOUS.

I was transported to sensations of freedom and youth and experience and wondered why in the heck I’d let this joyous act of riding my bike pass me by.

Well, no more. The batteries on our odometers need to be replaced and Bill will have to install the bike rack so we can transport our wonder machines to any number of delightful trailheads in the area and then – then! – the splendid exhilaration of new vistas, the heady rush of wind in our faces, tunneled bike trails, glimpses of nature and wildflowers, deer sightings, blue birds, etc., etc., etc.! Even those tired muscles, sure to resurface after such an extended absence, won’t be without some small measure of satisfaction.

More to come, my friends. More. To. Come. 🙂

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The pasture area adjacent to the golf course where we live often yielded lovely scenes such as this one. We loved watching the horses, petting them, feeding them the long grasses that grew up along the fence line. There were sometimes two dozen (or more!) of these stunning specimens. Rumor has it that the stables once boarded a horse belonging to Charleton Heston.

Anyway, once the ‘old man’ – a former veterinarian – passed away I knew it was just a matter of time before his kids sold the property to make way for the inevitable development. Now, in the distance, we’re witnessing rooftops and paved streets and meandering avenues popping up where once horses ran and grazed and provided us with such incredible movement and grace and beauty.

It breaks my heart, this relentless onslaught of ‘progress’.

“Look. There’s some more trees. Let’s cut them down and pour concrete, build office buildings, resurrect a new housing development!”

Greedy bastards. It makes me sad and nauseous with despair.

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Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite season of year? Why?
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Easy-peasy. Fall is the very best season of any 12-month calendar!

There’s the color, the vibrancy, those chill walks in a magical wood, good old-fashioned hayrides. There’s Halloween and mums and jack-o’-lanterns and fall decor and Trick or Treat and the lead-in to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There’s fun sweaters, turtlenecks, leggings, boots and comfy sweatshirts. The yummy fall hues of orange and red and yellow and gold and crimson, scarlet, mauve and purple.

We’ve got outdoor craft shows and college football. Don’t forget those delicious hot beverages: steaming cups of chai and hot chocolate. Or a glass of wine listening to outdoor music.

Falling leaves, that satisfying crunch underfoot, that somehow pleasant scent of decay in the air. Pumpkins and gourds, acorn squash and apples.

Fall is my favorite time of year, hands-down, bar-none. As soon as the heat & humidity starts to wreak its havoc – even in June – I’m ready for autumn. Each and every time!