These are a few of my favorite things

I'm not that big a fan of raindrops on roses, because I prefer a warm, sunny day (or else snow). And I'm not a cat person, so whiskers on kittens...eh. But there are other things I like.

Puppy breath: One of my all-time favorite things. I've done a little research, and come to the conclusion that it's something inherent in puppies that causes this, and it goes away at about three months. It doesn't seem to matter what they eat, or what kind of puppy they are. There is nothing sweeter than that softer-than-a pre-pubescent-boy's-pit-hair fur, and that warm round tummy, all wriggling to give you sweet-scented kisses any time you're remotely close.

Writing: Not just getting thoughts down on paper , but watching the way letters form across the page. I like using different colored ink or different types of pen to suit the occasion. I think it's amazing that with only twenty six letters, we can leave a record of every thought, every emotion, every event that has occurred in the last few thousand years. And I love that different cultures have such different ways of writing. I remember in elementary school, learning how to make my letters and then later learning to write "cursive." I practiced so hard on that lined paper, trying to make all my letters the same size. One year for Christmas I got a calligraphy set. I think I wore out the pens. I was never very good, but I had fun trying.

Reading: There are three things I could do almost exclusively for my entire life, and reading is one of them. The great thing about reading is that it lets you have a conversation with people you'll never meet. Even when I was little, I'd go for the fattest books I could find so that they'd last longer, and I have been known to ration books I've been looking forward to, so they would last longer. Most of the people I'd invite to that "Who would you have to dinner" question are authors. I wonder if I've ever read a book that I didn't learn something from? Hmmm; I'll have to think about that.

Nature: I'm pretty sure in a former life I was one of those nature-worshiping people like a Druid or Native American. Getting outside, away from people and time, renews me and relaxes me in a way nothing else does. If I can't totally disconnect, even a walk around the neighborhood or reading on the front porch helps. I like natural materials for my house too - stone and wood make it feel like home.

Cream cheese: In icing, on hot dogs, on sandwiches, in dips, in dessert, with chicken or corn or crackers and jam...You can add it to virtually anything and that thing will be better. Even the low fat version isn't bad! To paraphrase Ben Franklin, cream cheese is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.