Gratitude Friday

1. Fall color. It was a long time coming this year.

2. Happy office plants. I had to bring them home while we were in a temporary location as they refurbished our building, and they did not thrive. They are all blooming and growing like crazy now that they are back in my CSU office.

3. Sam. He’s such a goof, so particular about everything, wanting and needing things to be the same and happen at the “right” times, so sweet but also kind of unsure of himself.

4. Ringo Blue. The one thing I wished for when we got a new dog after losing Dexter was one who liked to cuddle, and lately he’s really been getting the hang of it. We took a two hour nap together the other day and it was magic.

5. Anniversary flowers. We always say we aren’t getting each other anything, but then he gets me a little something anyway.

Bonus joy: healthy dogs (I was reminded that this time last year Ringo had a horrible case of kennel cough), good books — so many good books, our Homecoming open house happening today so that it will finally be over and we can get back to the real work, Friday, time to rest, sleeping in, my foot getting better and better, clean water, just a few more tiny tomatoes.

1. 22 years. I’d still chose him, still do every day. I’ve blogged about it on this day the past two years, first on our 20th anniversary, and then on our 21st. He’s still my favorite.

2. Yoga. As I work to heal my foot, to cope with the overwhelm of returning to work at CSU, to enjoy moving my body and being outside on the days it’s nice enough to practice on the patio, yoga is such a gift.

3. Talking to my mom on the phone, getting an anniversary card from her in the mail. I teased her when I emailed her recently after not hearing from her for a bit that she needed to send me a message so I knew she was still alive since she doesn’t have a blog I can check or a smartphone I can text her on. We have an ongoing conversation with each other in our heads every day, but it’s nice to talk for real sometimes, even as much as we both hate talking on the phone.

4. Chew time with the dogs. They get a treat they love and I get to relax in a lawn chair. It’s a win/win.

Distracted for a minute by the dad doing something in the kitchen

Done with his treat and back to patrolling the yard

5. Walking two miles. Y’all have no idea how hard this foot injury has been on me, not being able to go on the walks with the dogs (we go six miles in the morning, 2-3 in the afternoon). My foot is strong enough now that I’m starting to build my endurance back up, and even though it was tender and I had to ice it yesterday after two miles, it’s starting to feel possible that this thing could get all the way better.

Bonus joy: yoga on the back patio, Tricks and Games class with Ringo, Wild Writing class, clementines (reminding me that there’s still fruit, even in the fall and winter), Booktober (an Instagram challenge I’m doing), ordering a new camera, another person signed up for my workshop, being cold (I know, I’ll be complaining about it in no time, but for now it’s kind of awesome), the turning leaves, all our pumpkins, still a few grasshoppers and birds in the front garden, finally getting my hair cut after almost a whole year.