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| Setting the gallery, from left, Suzette, me, Annie and Susan. |
There are times when an endeavor is simply
magical.
The joy of that collaboration still lifts my spirits and makes me smile. Making art is always a delight. Making it with three gifted artists and friends is magic.
2. Snow on the Rockies!
By now you know that I LOVE TO SHOP!
Maybe it's my hobby? Sport? Regardless, I like to browse, take my time looking, considering, comparing, imagining the item's possibilities. A purchase is not always necessary. Often I just take a photo instead of inserting my VISA to appreciate "the find."
BUT, when I'm actually LOOKING for something and can't seem to find it in stores in my area--I'm one of Amazon's favorite customers!!!
4. Wind chimes.
Inside, outside--I simply LOVE the random notes played by the wind.
Sometimes it's a gentle nudge against just one chime that repeats, slowly, each sound fading away before the chime is tapped again.
Usually, the song is a lively, capricious melody, never to be repeated in exactly the same way. It's a perfectly unique performance by wind in that very moment of time.
I love the sound of chimes and bells so much that I have two wind chimes on stands inside our house, in places that randomly get brushed against which results in an unexpected chiming of chimes!
I'm a LOTIONS & POTIONS girl and always willing to try a new face cream, skin lotion, lipstick shade, etc., but my favorite indulgence is lip balms!
While THESE are my 2017 top choices, my VERY FAVORITE is:
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm, SPF 25.
Amazon (of course) $7.50 each
Other flavors are available, but if you're looking for a minty soothing balm for your lips that doesn't disappear before you've even screwed the cap back on...you'll LOVE this one!
6. Storms.
Snow, rain, wind -- can't resist the power and awesomeness of Mother Nature in all her unbridled glory!
You may laugh at this--and, I admit it's an unlikely entry--but, I LOVE breakfast and I LOVE EGGS FOR BREAKFAST.
The pan has to be nonstick, heat just right, spatula supple and eggs over medium. DELICIOUS!!
It's not adventures far from home, BUT ALL ADVENTURES!
I LOVE the sense of discovery, the exploration, seeing things for the first time, seeing familiar things in new ways, catching a glimpse of the unexpected and being open to the possibilities!
Reminds me of the last lines in The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost:
..."Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Speaking of adventure, how delightful it is to encounter (intentionally or not) a new wine.
Red, of course, lush and full-bodied. California, Australia, Chili--all states and countries welcome!
And, moderately priced.
Hmmm, I just realized how many of my FAVORITE THINGS involve one of my favorite elements:
Wind!
(Clearly, it's been that kind of year!!)
Since our back yard extends to open space shared by our neighborhood, we get a LOT OF WIND, PRIMARILY FROM THE WEST, which you know is just fine with me!
To play with the wind we've tried various "wind sculptures," designed to spin when the wind blows. Sadly, these haven't worked out so well. Our wind gets, well, ferocious sometimes (again, fine with me!) and we're still picking out bits and pieces of previous "sculptures" out of the lawn.
Then we hung PRAYER FLAGS! Not only does the flapping indicate wind direction and speed, there's an added bonus: Prayers are carried skyward!!
There is a house in our neighborhood that has a leaded glass door with prisms as part of the design.
For three seasons of the year it's just a nice door and one that's mostly invisible as I walk in the morning lost in thought.
But, in the winter--when the sun is low in its projectory and just as I walk by at the right spot at the right time--
Wow!!!
The unexpected brilliance still stops me mid-step and I stand quietly for several minutes absorbing rainbows sparkling with different colors as I sway left and right.
I wonder if the homeowners know their door is my SPARKLING REWARD for walking on cold winter mornings?
12. Hugging a Giant Sequoia.
Long on my BUCKET LIST, wrapping my arms around as much of the trunk as I could span, feeling the rough unusual bark against my cheek and realizing that I was in the presence of life so ancient I could barely comprehend the significance TOPS my list for 2017.
"And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been." - Rainer Maria Rilke
