may this be the year you learn to fly. 

—

Photographer Hannie Heere was photographing barn owls when she captured an unusual shot of a baby barn owl running across grass. Barn owlets start flapping their wings at seven weeks, making short flights around the nest at eight weeks.

—

‘we learn to fly not by being fearless, but by the daily practice of courage.’

-sam keen, american author, professor, and philosopher

 

years come and go

with friends by the fire

mystery game

comfort food

charades

music 

talk.

—

‘year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,

with the wisdom that experience can instill in us.’

-hal borland

 

following in the footsteps of some of my blogging friends

i’ve complied of list of 100(ish) of my favorite things.

writing down what comes to mind

in no particular order.

—

Green, especially apple and olive shades

Brainstorming creative ideas with others

Storytelling

Glitter

making collage art, books, cards

Miniatures

Special boxes and bags

garlands of flowers

A great pen

Handmade paper

Handwritten letters and cards

Beautiful postage stamps

Gifting

Tiny paintings

Writing on birch bark

Photographs and memory boxes

cozy cottages by the sea or in a meadow near the woods

Colors and patterns and textures mixed together

Writing on small scraps of paper

Pasta of any kind or shape with any sauce

Making fun food sculptures

Cadbury Carmello bars and eggs

S’mores made on the fire with burnt marshmallows

Fresh strawberry shortcake with warm homemade biscuits

Melted velveta and salsa dip

Taco Tuesday any night

Hot coffee with thick cream or Bailey’s

Soup!

Mini boxes of cereal – if I get the good ones and my sibs don’t fight me for them (flashback)

Family pets

Flamin’ hot Cheetos

Black Crows gumdrops

Leftovers for breakfast

Laughing babies

Babies and children

Fairies, Fairy Stories, and Fairy Houses

The messages in my fortune cookies

Sasquatch/jBig Foot legend

King Arthur legend

Wildflowers in a meadow

Animals, especially mini goats and donkeys, black face sheep, monkeys, cats, mini ponies

Ginkgo trees

Sitting outside at a tiny tea shop on a tiny island in Ireland

Seashores

The skies at dusk and dawn

Listening to live reggae music on the beach sitting at a table with a tropical drink with fresh fruit as the sun goes down in Jamaica

Seashells, rocks, branches, driftwood

Walking in the woods, by the warm water, on cool, soft sand

Flowers, flowers, flowers

Houseplants that can survive me

The early morning

Fresh snow with no footprints, the silence, the squeak

Autumn

Tidepools

Golden books, Children’s literature, all books

Spies and true crime

Vintage cookbooks

Learning new words in all languages

Alphabets

Real newspapers

 Writing Conferences

Reading every book from authors I love

  Kind gestures

Crying at movies

Laughing until I can’t help myself

Love

Small romantic gestures

Surprises and favors

Acts of service

Compassion and kindness

Honesty

Celebrating everything

Spotify, even if my list is embarrassing, i own it

Records

Dancing

Car singing

Music, so much music

Board games

Jigsaw Puzzles

Crossword Puzzles (NYT weekends) 

Badminton and croquet in the yard

Movies of all kinds at the theater with buttered popcorn and smuggled-in candy

DVD’s

Docs/Art films/Indies/shorts/foreign films

Travel shows

Schitt’s Creek, Veep, The Office, especially British version

A live musical performance that engages the audience and moves my soul

My one and only joke – trying to remember it nd share it without messing up

Comedy

Visiting new places near and far

Old worn doors with character

Weathered furniture

Vine twined around old fences and growing up houses

Old bakeries, restaurants, dives, pubs

Going on quests

Mr. Rogers  and Dolly Parton

Family and friends

Talking to strangers

The human story

My children and grandies, watching who they’re growing into 

Original Jergen’s hand lotion, cherry almond

Lemon, vanilla, honey, cinnamon scents

Floating

Herbal Essence Shampoo, from my young hippie days, no longer the same

Being barefoot or in sandals

Soft sand, warm water

Parades

Soft clothing

Holding hands

Soft pillowy feathery mattress and covers that i can sink into

Weather from 65-75F

Falling asleep to the rain, hearing waves, or a fan if no natural noise

Sitting by a fire, feeling the heat and hearing the crackling sounds

Getting in my car and letting the heat soak in

Velvet

Old British sports cars

Being a part of the 4 Crows Detective Club when i was a child

Anything that’s not wool, a dentist, a clown, math, tech, or having to find my way somewhere

—

“seek out what magnifies your spirit.”

-maria popova

 

hmmmmm….

no one is fessing up.

—

‘i didn’t do it.’

-mr. green, from ‘clue.’

—

‘it’s kind of part of human nature to want to know the truth or want to be in on the secret.

for stories that focus in on that – like whodunits – it’s easy to get into.’

-mirelle enos

 

in a big old blue house near me by the river

one of my very first kindergarten students

from way back when

now grown

shares a creative studio

with other local artists

 open for an art gallery gathering

 so lovely to see their work

 to see the artist my former student had become

only a matter of time

his creative eye and natural talent

’twas apparent way back when. 

—

‘art is the stored honey of the human soul.’

-theordore dreiser, american novelist/journalist

 

 

 

the afternoon after the night and then the morning spent celebrating.

—

‘the afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.’

~swedish proverb

nine kids and one dog in a christmas eve plank-off competition

 cocoa the dog may have been the calm and cool winner. 

 

—

“may your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter,

and every window open to great possibility.”

 -mary anne radmacher

wishing you a holiday season filled with joy, wonder, and peace

beth