This time of year is hard. Hard hard. There’s still snow on the ground. You’re a million years from any vacation, past or present. And work is hard for me right now. So instead of whiiiiiining about it all, I thought I’d list out (for you and for me) some of my favorite things.
The smell of yeast when you add it to warm sugar-water when you begin a bread recipe
The way Mt. Rainier explodes into view when you turn the corner on Mineral Road South
The happy look on Thane’s face when he snuggles into bed with Puppy
Flowering tea balls
The Good Friday service
The garden on the next street that is first out with the snow drops and the creeping phlox in spring
Reading in the bathtub
D20s
Doing even stupid chores with my husband, because we end up laughing together
The wild patches in the big cloverleaves at the insterstices of busy New England freeways, like 93 and 95 on the North side
Advice columns!
Listening to Grey read aloud and then get quieter and quieter until he’s reading to himself
Text messages – they’re almost always from friends, almost always welcome and pretty much never hum drum or spam
Looking out the third floor window of my house across old New England walls, and hearing the carillon sound from Town Hall
Catching a real smile in passing from a stranger
Rachmanninoff, Gabrieli and Byrd
The way my kids walk/bounce/rejoice with every step
The smell of vanilla leaf and the tart taste of freshly picked sorrel
Friends on my doorstep
The sight of a Starbucks logo — still makes my heart leap!
Ars Magica — a game that’s been here and gone, like fairy rings, since I was pregnant with Grey
Minor music played on trumpet in a cold, dark sanctuary
The cliffs on Roundtop Mt. in the golden setting summer sun
The deep, hot, clear way jam looks when you add the pectin in
The way that the hum of the freeway in summer reminds me of the rush of glacial rivers near Mt. Rainier campgrounds
Real letters
Grey’s sincere interest in the babies in his life
Peach pie
Pretty dishes, especially when they have obscure purposes but I manage to use them correctly (looking at you, deviled egg dishes & asparagus server!)
The 5 second view of the Boston skyline you get on 128 in Burlington
The “kids say the darndest things” stage. (Thane announced the other morning that he wants to be called “Ketchup” from now on.)
Those are a small subset of my favorite things. What are your favorite things?
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My Truant Pen 
I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!!!!
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I love your blog too.
And I love Maundy Thursday service. No clue why, but always have.
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Because it’s about service to each other, right there, about community, and about what it means to share our vulnerability together.
Which might mean I’m also a fan…. honestly, Easter is great but I love Lent.
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I like the moment you clear TSA in the airport. Nothing can stop you now — you are off on an adventure.
I like bed after a hard days work.
I like the Christmas Eve service. It stands between the work of getting ready for Christmas and the celebration.
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This is a little weird, but – I like the way lard looks when it melts in a hot pan. Crystal clear, and full of promise for tasty things to come. (Bacon fat smells better but it just doesn’t have the same sparkle).
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