Rosy Cheeks, Out of the Mouths of Babes and Day Old Bread

1. The rosy cheeks of toddlers in coats and mittens, bundled up against the cold.

2. Hearing the words "Barack Obama is our president" come out of the mouth of a tiny three year old.

3. A day-old whole grain baguette purchased at the grocer, to be thinly sliced and dried in the oven for toasts to dip into delicious creamy humus.

Kindness, Love and a Leftover Scone

1. The kindness of nurses who make an unbearable situation somewhat tolerable.

2. The sweetness of lasting love, shown from a kind husband who takes such good care of me while I am stoned and barfing from a trip to the hospital as an outpatient.

3. A leftover scone, eaten while lying on my side on the dining room floor (LOL)...Just what the doctor ordered for my first post hospital meal.

Scones, Hot Peppers and A Clear Night

1. A hot cup of coffee  and homemade blackberry scones, with juicy blackberries peeking out of the delicious dough.

2. Hungarian hot peppers, smothered in marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzerella cheese, with a little slice of Italian bread to sop up the sauce while enjoying dinner with Britt and Joe at a local landmark, The MVR.

3. A winter night sky so clear that Orion shines brightly and is unmistakable.

Memory Lane, Beatrix Potter and French Press Coffee.

1. Recalling fond memories with my daughter, while searching through our family photos. Snaggle-toothed smiles, chubby cheeks, bad eighties hair, bad eighties clothing and Christmas morning on the staircase.

2. My daughter finds a stack of Beatrix Potter books, "BEATRIX POTTER, A JOURNAL" in the bargain bin while we are visting a bookstore. We both walk away with a copy. Although meant to be a children's book, the journaling and memorabilia make it a treat for the eyes and the soul. Both of my children have Royal Doughton Bunnykins baby plates, cups and bowls from when they were newborns, so Beatrix holds a fond place in our hearts.

3. After dinner, we have a cup of steaming French Press coffee, while Britt orders art supplies, Joe watches the History channel and I read my Beatrix Potter Journal, running my hands over every page, drinking in her amazing talent.

Black-Capped Chickadees, Melting Icicles and Snow Covered Sunsets

1. Four black-capped chickadees frolic and flit about in our snow-covered yard, darting in and out of the bare branches of Helene, my Rose of Sharon. I decide they are celebrating the morning sunshine.

2. Shining brightly, the sun has warmed us to above freezing and yesterday's monstrous icicles are drip-dripping around the outside edge of the house and sound like raindrops falling.

3. Just as the afternoon light is getting low in the sky, my daughter and I take a drive through our local park, a little bit of nature preserved in this very suburban area. Mini-vans filled with children in brightly colored snow pants carrying brightly colored plastic sleds park and unload. The steep hill awaits.

The creek is covered in a layer of snow, frozen by the cold temperatures we have recently had. Britt comments that the snow covered rocks protruding from the creek bed look like bubbles, bubbling up out of the smooth surface of the snow. We pause on the bridge that travels over the creek, the sun is getting low and the light it gives to us in this moment, right before it sets, is spectacular. Everything glows. Much of the snow on the playground is unblemished. I see tiny paw prints in the snow, leading to tree trunks before they disappear. The roadway is still snow-covered, though worn down and it squeaks and crunches below the car tires. We circle the park monument in the car, me whooping up something about doing a donut in the snow and then we head home. It is a beautiful moment.

We traveled this same path together in the fall, when the leaves were gold and the air hung heavy with the sweet smell of autumn. I treasure these moments we share.

Warm Toes, Giant Icicles and Darning by Snow Light

1. Snooky, our kitty, warming his kitty toes by the heating vent in the dining room on this cold January afternoon.

2. Giant sparkling icicles drip off the rooftops of neighborhood houses, giving a "Rockwell' feel to our neighborhood of century-old homes.

3. Mending button holes on a duvet cover, by no light other than the light shining through the front window, light that is bouncing off the bright white snow.

AC Repairman, Chicka Dee Dee Dee and a Dirt Bath

1. On a day when the temperature will rise to 92 degrees, having a repair company who responds by 7:30 AM when your husband calls the night before to tell them your AC isn't working.

2. A very young black-capped chickadee lands on the iron porch railing. His feathers are mottled and messy. He has yet to develop his adult coloring. He squawks a "chicka dee dee dee" and then flies in a little closer...Then even closer. Each flight is begun with hesitancy, as if he is asking himself if he can do it before he takes the leap of faith. He lands on the corner post of the iron porch sofa and looks around. Pleased with himself, he lets out a little whistle, then flutters his way to the phone line.

3. It is our dinner time. A party of sparrows are having a dirt bath in the dried out earth in my gardening wagon. Dust & dirt fly as they squirm and wallow in the powdery earth. We laugh out loud as the dirt flies, leaving our dinner to watch their antics. It is a hot one today and my husband jokes that it dries up their sweat.

(If you've never witnessed a sparrow's dirt bath, put a pan of dry dirt in your yard near your feeders and just wait. They will find it and it is a sight to behold. They go into it head first and wallow, the same as they do in water.)