Winning a prize in a raffle at a craft show
Spending the day with my best friend of 60 years
Accidentally going to a sports bar and not hating it
Fresh nail polish
Christmas shopping done!

- Grocery delivery
- Jim Beam Honey - honey liqueur infused with bourbon, surprisingly not too sweet
- penicillin - my tooth no longer hurts
- Brita filter - it's saving me a ton of money over bottled water, plus no plastic
- A present from my boy - fluffy warm foot booties
- Back rubs

1) a loving partner who makes me feel appreciated and adored.

2) a beautiful place to live.

3) supportive coworkers (we care about each other)

4) a warm place to call home.

5) plenty of food and clean drinking water.

1. Finally, over a devastating stomach flu that arrived on Christmas Day.
2. Grandchildren coming to spend the day with me tomorrow! What a joy they are!
3. My beautiful dog is mentally recovering from the crippling arthritis. She’s refused to go up and down steps, even though she physically can. The last few days, on and off she’s been doing that without even thinking about it. The look on her face when she realizes she’s back inside the house is adorable!
4. Making a will with an attorney today. My husband’s mother passed away over Christmas. Made us realize we don’t have that much time to put this off anymore. It’s good to take care of this stuff while we can.
5. Seed catalogs!

- a new year with possibilities
- Apple Jacks and a dog who likes to help me eat them
- a bath with good-smelling bath salts
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
- fun stuff coming in the mail

Yesterday's rain
Today's sunshine
Spring is on its way
Christmas is gone
Mama is still here to share another year

Our electricity is still on (windstorm)
My family is coming over tomorrow to celebrate my birthday!
BBQ potato chips as a late night snack
Really fuzzy lounge set on a very cold night
A new true crime book to enjoy!

Hooked on the rock band Journey ❤️❤️❤️❤️
 

1) doing what I love to do and the joy it brings to me.
2) knowing I can earn a good living and keep all my bills paid.
3) being a good neighbor to all my neighbors.
4) being willing to find better solutions to life’s unexpected situations.
5) cuddling up inside his open arms

1. My warm dry house when it's cold and rainy outside.
2. Three cute dogs waiting for me when I come out of my home office.
3. A home office, so I don't have to go anywhere to "go to work."
4. My work day is done.
5. It's date night, and I don't know what we're doing yet, but I know it'll be fun cause we're together.

Five for Michigan

1. Continued free school breakfast and lunch for all Michigan public school children in 2024-2025.
2. Free Community College available to all Michigan High School Grads. Students with higher financial needs can get an additional $1,000.
3. Michigan packaging and labeling of cannabis. It is the best I've seen and should be a model for other states. I think it keeps prices low and industry growers, distributers and packagers honest. No system is fool proof, but this is a good one.
4. Attorney General of Michigan, Dana Nessel, the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to statewide office in The Mitten.
5. The remarkably resilient and good-natured people in Detroit.

1.a &b.: "Cruisin' by Smokey Robinson, and "I Wanna Get Next To You", Rose Royce, on my playlist. Mmmmm, yeah!

2. A new journal set-up that I decided to start tonight, not in January. That means journaling set to the aforementioned music. I'm much more likely to stick with it if I make it pleasant and meaningful.

3. Again with the music-Karen Carpenter's voice, silenced way too early.

4. Eating a reallly good piece of chocolate as if I was making love to it. I think a lot more of eating should be like that.

5. (Soon) A warm shower and to bed for a week of change.

Five or More Good Things
 

Still feeling up spending time with my brother.

Sitting with my firestove going on a night like last night.

Chatting with my buddy in a far away city.

Having a nice steak dinner.

Having a warm apt. a good van and money to buy what I need.

Great friends like my neighbours.

5 or more good things
 

1) that commissioners from the board of National Baseball League never let Pete Rose (famous sports figure from the Cincinnati Reds) ever be installed in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I’m glad they took a stand and denounced Rose’s willfull lying and illegal betting activities. You can’t be a hall of famer setting examples of lying and betting and get social approval for your bad actor ways.

1a). I’m no fan of Shohei. I used to be, but not after his interpreter betting scandal. We learned from the Pete Rose episode years ago. Goodbye Shohei.

2). The geese returned to the nearby fields. I love to hear them chit chat with each other. ❤️

3). It’s only four months until spring time returns. Looking forward to March 1st and the return of baseball season again. :hk20:

4). I stopped being a fan of fast food, a few years ago. Now that DJT got a Maga-T franchisee to let him stand in their store and reveal that franchisee’s political stance by ownership, McDonald’s will pretty much be on my shit-list permanently.

5). Kamala Harris celebrated her 60th birthday on this past Sunday. Happy Birthday Kamala! :birthday2:

Of all the places I have been, IMHO as a foodie, New Orleans is the city where most people embody this principle. I have always felt that their basic approach to food is that you should enjoy it; and if you're not enjoying it, why are you eating at all? I like the way you put it better.

* * *

My 5 good things:

1. Ben and Jerry's ice cream is on sale this week, half price.

2. Still feeling the waves and sea air and the Jimmy Buffett groove a week plus after vacation.

3. An out-of-town friend is coming to visit tomorrow, and she's bring me a haul from the farmer's market.

4. This voting season is almost over and I haven't had a breakdown or seriously considered moving to Canada yet this time.

5. My house is cleaner than it has been in a long time, thanks to an inspired boy.