find at least one thing each day that makes me happy and record it everyday for a year

I love christmas, especially christmas trees. It just seems like such a shame that they only stay up for 4 – 6 weeks out of the year. well, not here. I’ve always wanted a tree for all seasons, and I finally have the room to do it here. We got a 9’ pre-lit tree, and the first holiday i’ve been able to work on is Valentine’s. I keep finding the oddest things in the strangest places to add to it. I found a pink heart shaped dog squeeky toy. added some glitter and ribbon to it, and turned it into a decoration!

always makes me feel special. it’s not something guys can do. well, yes they can, but i don’t feel like getting into that right now. I guess it goes back to being a little girl, and dressing up in ruffles and petticoats and ribbons and bows. White tights and patent leather mary janes. you could be the ugliest girl on the planet, but in that dress…. you were beautiful.

upon which we will build our retirement dream house. That is, if we decide to stay in Laredo. I haven’t spent a summer here yet, but hubby says “we have air conditioning”. The moment I climbed that mound of dirt and looked down on the lake, i was awestruck. it was so quiet… breeze blowing… absolutely serene.

we’ll see. it’s been for sale forever, and in this market, i don’t expect to see it move soon.

i’m going to take roxy (my black lab) down there this weekend. she’ll have a blast playing in the water. she misses her swimming pool.

in the car that is. Riding around in my red convertible.. in January no less! The weather today was in the low 70’s, not a cloud in the sky and it was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t resist taking the top down and just cruising around a bit.

In Laredo, convertible weather is in the winter, in the summer it’s too hot to ride with the top down.

sleeping in late with my husband. having him hold me, and telling me not to get up, to come back to bed, that we don’t have anything to do. no sex, just cuddling. pulling the covers up to our chins because the room is chilly. feeling warm, safe, loved, comfortable, content in his arms.

Never in a million years did I think I would live to see deer strolling through my front yard. And we live in a suburb. Granted, it backs up on empty land covered with brush and mesquite trees, and hunting is a BIG DEAL down here, but its the most amazing thing to sit on the front porch, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the deer lazily pass by, nibbling grass, looking for acorns to eat (i hear they consider them treats) Lots of mommas and babies, and occassionally a buck. A couple of weeks ago we saw a 6 pointer behind the house. How majestic they look!

listening to wind chimes!

I identified a new bird in my backyard. It’s a red-winged blackbird. I also saw a dove, a red-headed woodpecker, and something that looks similar to a robin, but not quite. I’ll have to research that one some more. I never would have imagined sitting around watching birds could be so fulfilling.

on a sadder note. i just heard that a plane crashed in the Hudson River after flying into a flock of geese. apparently, all the passengers made it out alive. that’s good… and amazing.

And the picture attached is one i snagged, not took. I wasn’t able to get a good shot today. i’ll replace it as soon as i can.

I love watching the birds eat out of the feeders in my back yard. The cardinals are so bright and colorful (the males anyway). The green jays are large and bossy, but also very colorful. Little sparrows pop around on the ground then fly off en masse like a sheet blowing in the wind. I love to hear the sound of their wings beating together like a choir singing. And I am VERY HAPPY their are no squirrels here in Laredo. I would never have been able to do this in Houston. I don’t mind spending money on bird seed if it feeds the birds, but I don’t want to feed the squirrels.