forty

I’m 40 today.

Thought I’d take time to count and give thanks. So many things, I love. ❤️

thoughtfulness 

fresh pine litter in the coop

salty foreheads on my little ones

smudgy fingerprints = signs of life

Murphy’s oil soap & pine-sol

eucalyptus anything

when white cream swirls into black coffee

dark garden soil warmed by the sun

cardamom & anise

mason jars 

his salt & pepper hair 

throw blankets & quilts

wooden & wire gathering baskets

cedar anything

fresh herbs

my children’s’ sense of humor

citrus

carbonated & fermented drinks

pine trees (cones & needles) & all the evergreens

smell of gasoline on water 

all the foliage 

white blooms

textures

embroidered goodness

patina on old trucks

cast iron

the smell of coffee grounds first opened

wood – all of it

overcast skies

clunky boots

sunflowers – scent/beauty/stature/function

starry nights

dusk 

lightning bugs

white anything 

hammock

thunder & lightning & rain

old musty books with yellowed pages

sharp pencils

bright eyes

sun-kissed cheeks

rusted/weathered/aged anything 

green

chunky sweaters

thrift stores

a white Christmas 

fire 

fresh water 

chocolate & mint

back door friends

he makes me coffee every weekend morning

gallery walls

wool socks

Jane Austen 

grandma’s jewelry

scarves and hats

old souls

intuitive people

steady hearts

words

crushed garlic

cheap beer

70 degrees

overalls

diffused light 

heart rocks

black & white photos

redemption

redheaded babies 

autumn leaves

homemade salsa

creaky wood floors

linen

how a chicken runs

sun dresses

documentaries

aprons

rabbit ears

fresh eggs in a nesting box

tools

before & afters

stories 

handwritten recipe cards

contemplatives

telling dreams 

folk art/music/culture 

acoustics

exposed beams

tomatoes on the vine

the sound of deep woods

stainless steel

braised meats

cut-out cookies with heirloom cutters

oversized coffee mugs

crunchy snow

mercy

homemade gifts

all the berries

socked feet in winter

PBS and BBC shows

journals

humble people

hands

brave souls

marked up bible pages

old hot dog stands

lake Erie

when I can see my breath in the air

hearts who love thru the worst of things

seedlings

more chances

rain boots

making flower bouquets

linens on the clothesline

climbing & sprawling vines & bushes

breeze

apparently, names that begin with the letter T

double-barreled truth quotes

art – all of it

lyrics & melodies

Motown

keepsakes

sawdust

fresh paint

windows open/down

early morning 

rain on a tin roof

tucked away spaces

glory drives (joy ride: renamed by kids)

dancing in the kitchen

when everyone is home 

live music

cherry limeades 

empty sink

harvest

awkward moments

little trinket gifts from my babies

laughing until it hurts

kindness

red lipstick

Little House on the Prairie

my hair touched

vinyl records

Sunday naps

hooded sweatshirts

quirky people

relentlessness

happy endings