100 Things

If you had to think of 100 things that make you happy, could you? Not ridiculous things, like winning the lottery, or once-in-a-blue-moon things, like a tropical vacation, but those little things that might just go unnoticed until you think about them.

By the way, if “tropical vacation” is a “regular thing” in your life, just skip this post.  Maybe even this entire blog.  I’m not sure I like you.

Here’s my hundred, in no particular order.  I hope you take the time to think about yours, and realize that every day gives us reason to smile, to celebrate, to be grateful.

1.  Bacon
2. The first hummingbird of the season
3. Having morning coffee on the porch with Steve
4. The smell of BBQ wafting up into the house
5. Watching the fountain show at Bellagio
6. A St. Louis Cardinal baseball game at Busch Stadium, even in the crappy seats
7. Changing the seasonal wreath on the front porch
8. Baking Christmas cookies
9. A really good haircut
10. Moose sneaking up on the couch to fall asleep with his head in my lap
11. Gathering chicken eggs in the morning
12. A good thunderstorm, with plenty of lightning
13. Jack in the Box tacos, the ones that have fake meat in them
14. Our ornamental plum tree, when it’s in full bloom
15. A good fresh tomato
16. Turning the kitchen calendar, which is always purchased for beautiful photos, to a new month
17. Watching it snow
18. A good book
19. Shark Week on Discovery Channel
20. Darsee & David’s Hemingway scented candles
21. Making menus for a family meal
22. Playing Spades with friends, or Poker with anyone
23. Bumpy airplane flights
24. Making a new decorative wreath
25. Writing….anything
26. People watching anywhere, but especially from a comfy chair with a refreshment
27. Queso & chips, the homemade kind with white cheese
28. Watching the St. Louis Cardinals on TV
29. Strolling Soulard Market
30. Picking out new paint colors for a wall
31. A road trip to ANYWHERE with Steve
32. An hour in Barnes & Noble
33. Trying out a new recipe, bonus if it turns out correctly
34. Putting up the Christmas Tree
35. Towels right out of the dryer
36. Windows down, 45 mph or faster, singing at the top of my lungs
37. Ice crystals in the trees
38. All the other hummingbirds
39. Having a standoff with a fence lizard on the porch to see who moves first
40. Watching the bats swoop around at dusk
41. Seeing the Clydesdales, extra points for full regalia and in formation
42. Kids on Halloween
43. Fishing with Steve
44. Having my house full of people
45. A Sunday newspaper spread out on the bed
46. Helping kids write letters to Santa
47. Holding a puppy that still has “puppy smell”
48. Turning the lights on the Christmas Village every night,  bonus for the first time each season
49. Finding money I didn’t know I had in my pocket
50. Taking photographs
51. Snuggling up to watch a movie
52. Popcorn popped on the stove, in a big heavy pot, with real butter
53. Sitting around a fire in the backyard
54. Coming home to a miraculously clean house, thanks to my husband
55. Watching the roosters chase each other around in the yard
56. An email or phone call from a friend that I’ve not seen in awhile
57. Stumbling onto a Fall Festival or Craft Fair
58. Getting the new Rand McNally Road Atlas that comes out every year (WalMart, $5.97)
59. Making green pancakes for my grandson
60. Cardinals huddling in the tree during the winter
61. A trip to the St. Louis Zoo
62. Watching deer on the trail behind the house, when they don’t notice me
63. Listening to my mother-in-law tell a story
64. Watching my adult children transform into teenagers whenever they’re in a room together
65. The smell of freshly cut grass, especially when it’s mine and I can enjoy a well manicured lawn
66. Listening to Louie Armstrong sing “What a Wonderful World”
67. Listening to the dogs snore
68. Re-reading “To Kill A Mockingbird” for the umpteenth time
69. Making Easter baskets, and choosing which color grass to use for each one
70. A really good watermelon
71. A wander through any nature preserve, state park, or national forest
72. Bull riding (watching bull riding….I know my limits)
73. Watching toddlers spontaneously start dancing
74. Repotting a plant
75. Putting on flannel pajamas on a cold night
76. Making donuts out of refrigerator biscuits with the grandkids
77. Finding a bird’s nest tucked into a bush (or Steve’s work bench)
78. Christmas music blasting through the house….especially pre-1970 recordings
79. Catching a movie version of a classic musical on TV, especially West Side Story or The Music Man
80. Parades, especially those featuring high school marching bands
81. The smell of burning leaves
82. A well applied new coat of nail polish on my toes, with no “oopsies”
83. Seeing a hot air balloon in the sky
84. Really good, really authentic English Toffee
85. Driving on the High Road during peak “color changing” weeks in the Fall
86. Listening to peepers in the evening
87. Playing Scrabble
88. An unplanned afternoon nap on the couch
89. Finding out my hotel room has complimentary CONDITIONER along with the shampoo
90. A blooming flower garden, bonus for purple flowers
91. Hot cocoa made from scratch, with real vanilla in it
92. Getting together with my siblings
93. Watching the light bulb go on when teaching one of the grandkids something
94. Getting a new catalog in the mail, even though I’m not going to order anything from it
95. Having all the windows open in the house instead of using the furnace or AC
96. Realizing that I’ve hit the airplane seat assignment jackpot:  Exit Row, Aisle
97. Perusing the olive oil store (yes, we have a store dedicated to olive oil) or the candle store
98. Watching the sun rise from the back deck
99. Realizing it’s Girl Scout Cookie season

And, finally, 100.  Finishing a project, whether it be writing Christmas cards, rearranging the pantry, or making a list of 100 things that make me happy.