1. My Golden Rain Trees. When we first bought our house 14 years ago, I joined the Arbor Day Foundation because if you did they would send you 10 seedlings, (they still do this). Your choices at the time were either 10 Colorado Blue Spruce or a variety pack which included five different kinds of trees, two of each. I chose the variety because we already had one Spruce and they get so big I couldn’t imagine where I’d put 10 more on our lot. The only ones that made it of the original 10 were the Golden Rain Trees, and since then, they’ve seeded even more that I’ve been able to move and plant in various other places in our garden. They are nice because they are pretty and provide shade, but they don’t get giant. They turned the prettiest colors this fall — gold, orange, red, and even deep purple.

2. Ringo. Growing up just a little bit more, back in daycare after being sick, in another training class and doing so well, and still such a goofball.

Ringo doesn’t understand couches

3. Sam. Such a good boy. I confess I resisted him for such a long time. I couldn’t help feeling in the beginning that the only reason he was with us was because my Obi had died, which made me hold back, resist loving him completely. But now, when he crawls into bed with me in the morning and curls up next to me, I’m so grateful for him, so in love,

a picture from last fall, still one of my favorites

4. The Open Heart Project Sangha. It’s a really really really good thing, a supportive and genuine community.

5. Weekends. I am so glad for them, so grateful. My only problem is that they aren’t long enough.

Bonus Joy: Reading, Eric taking the dogs hiking, taking a nap, laughing with Eric, payday.