91 days of happiness . . . .

i've been waiting all month for this post and it has absolutely nothing to do with halloween and everything to do with happiness.  this month, my friend les, is FIVE years NED!!!!!!!

if you need this translated, this woman, my personal hero, has fought the monster called melanoma at stage four level and won!   this month of october makes five long, wonderful years with no evidence of disease.

she has fought long and hard for this win and i couldn't be prouder of her.

day 90 . . .

yummy yoga.

lunch with the hens.

shopping for shower presents.

running errands.

low key dinner for wiped out me.

zzzzzzzzz.

rolling down route 89 . . .

my last morning with pooch.  her mom is on her way home.  sigh.  she was fun to play with.

made a run to the meat market for beef stew.  mother nature or not, i'm in the mood for something filling and noodlely and beefy.  moo.

finally sat down and paid the dreaded bills and balanced the checkbook.  yup, i still demand my check book balance.  sometimes it listens, some times it doesn't.  but it's been off  by the same amount for so long now, i count it as my slush fund.  good thing it's in my favor.  happiness.

88 . . .

dez and i had to romp in the rain today.  it was good.  made for quite the slip-sliding while playing frisbee.  she happily stayed out until she had done what dogs do and rumbled back inside.

her playmates are a little aggrieved to not having their mama but she will be home tomorrow.  YAY. happiness all around.

now dez is terrified of thunder, not rain as evidenced above, just the boomers.  kidlet packed up her crocheting and headed across the street to keep the beastie company.  gotta love my kidlet's big heart.

i'd don't know what's wrong with me lately, i caught some cleaning bug.  yesterday i vacuumed the entire fireplace floor to second floor ceiling.  scrubbed the hearth, and dusted everything within sight. it's all ready the second mother nature says, "FREEZE"!

today my tub and i had a come to jesus meeting.  along with the toilet.  they are now sparkling. the rest will be finished tomorrow.  then comes the twelve foot desk area in the loft.  it's been buried and i have projects i want to do.

i don't know what the prompt is but i like it.  happiness.

87 . . .

much betterer.  i can see.  still a little light and sound sensitivity . . . i just count that as creative sensory exhales.  snort.

lunch with nancy today and my blessed sammie.  took desmond out for some play time and crunchies.  she really is a lovely little doggie. her mommy comes home day after tomorrow.  lucky little beasties.

kidlet is making me dinner tonight.  pancakes and bacon.  slurp!

life is good.

86 it in the can . . .

sorry i'm a day late.  got and there went my vision.  ugh.  but!!!  i've had worse and it's mostly better today.

signed up for a class on Lightroom.  cannot wait.  that starts november 3.  i will be able to share much better photos.  happy. happy.

85 days down . . .

i can always tell when i have been around my friend robin.  i start to eat healthier.  craving more hummus and pita, lots of fresh veggies, roasting a chicken again tonight. love it when it is stuffed with whole garlic bulbs and lemons.  granola and greek yogurt is now a staple.  slurp.

did a load of darks and wondered why i smelled smoke.  i need a keeper.  love the smell of wood smoke.

kidlet is at work so i can sneak around and get things cleaned up.  for some reason, i hate to clean when someone else is in the house.  imagine how spotless the cave would be if kidlet moved to her own digs.  naw . . . it doesn't work that way.  i will forever be a dust collector.  and i would miss kidlet.

so what's better than a list of things that make you happy.  NOTHING.

p.s.  dizzy came over today to visit and immediately sneezed a great dog sneeze all over pip who looked at me like WTF, mom?!?!?!?

84 . . .

dez came for a long visit this morning and although ninja and bear count her as the enemy, my little seven pound goober struts right up to say hello.

no fear from the children's section.

see the pumpkin?  kidlet made pumpkin bread today.  yummo.

mostly i played with photoshop.  you know it makes me happy.  but so does this, i think because it strikes home:

shoo shoo!!

83 . . .

yummy yoga had a sub. completely different experience.  good to get a different take every once in awhile.

lunch with one hen overlooking the ocean:

just as we were finishing up, the rains came down sideways.  we had to move to the bar.  i went to pay and realized i hadn't returned my cash, credit and license back to my wallet from glamping.  oops.

the other hen is out of town so kidlet and i are babysitting dez the dog and shebs and annie the cats.  life is good and filled with happiness!!!!!!!!

what day is it???

we stumbled out of bed around eight this morning, munched a bit and packed up our bags.  sigh.  i will miss this little cabin in the woods and the camaraderie and love.  happiness is having old friends and making new ones.  i needed this.

p.s. i was so good to see kidlet's happy little face today and that of three grumpy cats who ignored me until they finally forgave me for the desertion.  

81 days of unadulterated happiness . . .

day two and after a lovely little breakfast of greek yogurt/granola and honey we headed out for some kayaking.

here are some more goodies:

 more little cabins

 off of one of the tributaries:

robin and julie sharing some love:

robin on the river:

followed by homemade ham and pea soup.  slurp.  we decided to take a walk to the educational settlement.  i love these old buildings:

a little corn on the cob:

pre-dinner snacks:

and back to the cabin for a little relaxation and a little bit of this:

because it is, after all, florida.

a little back story before you watch this next video.  there were tons of owls around our cabin and they were very chatty at night.  so out by the campfire, julie was teaching us the owl call.  it goes like
this:

who cooks for you,
who cooks for you all.

now say it in an owl voice and you will understand.  they answered back.  but here it is live:

now i will happily admit that there might have been a little alcohol involved but that is it.  so silly.

and the night ended with my newest favorite quote:  "wine with a nibble of ambien."

another thing i will freely admit.  the tension and stress of daily life just drifted away.  my shoulders actually felt lighter.

happiness abounds.

four score . . .

i'm back!!!!

robin, julie and i ran away to go glamping.  you know, camping with a bit more glamour!  we headed over to silver springs state park to stay here:

aren't they the best cabins?????  wonderful neighbors too:  egrets, cormorants, gators, turtles, owls, a snake or two.  sweet.

but really, this is where the glamping part comes in.  this is our little cabin in the woods:

with a full kitchen with dishwasher, two bedrooms, full bath, air conditioning and heat, a gas fireplace, wrap around porches, a fire pit, grill.  we are ready to move there permanently.  so good.

we arrived around 11:00 and were able to get right in so we unpacked, and took a walk around the area.  since we knew we wanted to go kayaking, we had to mosey over to Silver Springs the park, to ask all of our questions and make plans for the next day.  and, since we were already there, we took a ride on the glass bottom boats.  here, in no particular order, are some shots of our first day.  isn't this the perfect country lane?

 desoto's boat.  yep, that desoto.  who'd a thunk it.

 one of seven or so boils in the park:

 and of course an ibis or two.

julie brought her pumpkins and gathered some nature and did a little decorating.

this is our living room.  sweet huh?!?!

and this is where we would launch from the next day.

another crevice in a boil. one is 58 feet deep and yet, crystal clear.

my bedroom.  night.  night.

silver springs like many of the old roadside florida attractions floundered in recent years.  the park service took it over two years ago to make sure it survived.

fishies!!!

the park used to do a jungle boat cruise with a 'typical' indian setup.  the buildings are still there.

julie on the launch dock for the kayaks.

we lunched on cold cut sammies and homemade cookies.  dinner was meatball subs with mozzarella and a salad.  soooo delish as were all the meals.  julie brought granola and greek yogurt and honey for breakfasts and robin who make the meatballs, also made these out of this world veggie tortillas with spinach, mushrooms, corn and cheese.  add a little yellow rice and beans.  there might have been a little wine too.

color me explosively happy.

counting up to number . . .

i was so pooped this morning from lack of sleep, i missed my walk.  snuggled back under the covers with clear cool air stirred by the ceiling fan.  oh happiness.

and then i got things accomplished.  ran errands.  ironed.  baked cookies.  it feels so good to get things done.

i'm going to be mia for a couple of days.  no laptops allowed.  kidlet is holding down the fort.  i am off to restore.  renew.  revitalize.  regenerate.  i'll catch up when i can.

episode 78 . . .

another slow easy day in the cave.  laundry done.  little stuff followed up upon.  talked to ranger mike.  simmer on that tidbit for moment.  snicker.

roasted chicken breasts with lemon and garlic.  i'm beginning to think all things in my kitchen are lemon and garlic enhanced.  hey, all together now, "it makes me happy"

oh and for even more happiness, i'll let you in a little secret.  today was kidlet's first day at work.  i am so stinking proud of her.

77 sunset strip . . .

just another slow day in paradise.  early morning walk.  household chores.  playing with photoshop.  an all veggie dinner.  another glass of wine, please sir.

happiness is a simple pleasure.

76 . . . trombones led the big parade . . .

such a good day.  starting with yummy yoga as our instructor calls it, followed by lunch with the hens at a new-to-me mexican restaurant.  hen one mentioned something that made her happy.  then hen two piped up and mentioned something that made her happy.  hen one looks at me and says, "what makes you happy today?" and i reply, "having to put the heat on in the car".  it was so nice and cool this morning on my way to yoga with the top down.  hooray.

remember the indian food truck in deland?  kidlet and i went hunting for it again tonight since friday nights are farmers market nights.  at first i panicked because i couldn't find the truck.  it was hiding.

i want to move to deland:

 see, i did find it . . .

 and the tandoori stickers were wonderful . . .

we couldn't find a place to sit so i sat on some stairs until the owner came out, dragged us through her store and out into a little garden with tables.  so nice.  i really, really want to move to deland.

and then there was this.  i was thinking darning needles at first but kidlet was right.  BATS!!!

won't work, dear bats, i still love your town.

75 . . .

kidlet and i went out shopping this morning hitting a dollar store, a thrift shop, office depot, michael's, staples and world market.  happiness is not spending a cent. no pesos, shekels or euros disappeared from my stingy pockets.  however, we were in office depot, looking for things we needed for a couple of journals we intend to make, when mother nature whacked me over the head and said, "run to the nearest bathroom, jeanne."  and so i ran, knowing that if i didn't, there would be an accident of major proportions.  so i took off through the store, screeched around the corner, scudded into the bathroom and slid into the nearest stall.  i won!!!!  but mother nature in all her profound inanity, had removed all the much needed toilet paper.  not a shred remained.  now usually, i double check these things before assuming the position but this was, as mentioned, an emergency.  so there i was, occupying the cubicle, trapped like my first date conversing with my dad.

i could wait until kidlet wonders what is taking her mother so long but kidlet loose in a stationary store is worse than a puppy with a can of racket balls . . .  she might not realize i was gone until may. finally after texting her with no response, i feared my only option was to call office depot on the phone and ask them for a delivery.  thankfully, kidlet had received my s.o.s. and could be heard outside asking for toilet paper. of course, then i had to do the walk of shame past the two guys who had provided the necessary toilet paper.

happiness is surviving with your dignity intact.

joanie spotted this on our walk.

 and i found this waiting at home:

see, all you have to do is look.

74 . . .

this is the story of my life and i wouldn't have it any other way.  i'm too used to being lost . . .

i've also dodged a lot of lemons in my lifetime, damned good thing i like tequila.  so my newest watercolor:

snort.

nothing else is new and exciting.  doing a load of linens, not because i like doing laundry but because crawling in to fresh sheets makes me beyond happy and then i get to sprinkle some patchouli around and  . . .  well, it just doesn't get any better.  are you discovering it's the small things that make me happy?  true story.

73 . . .

an early morning walk past this very pretty but quite messy tree.  it's really more like a nuisance plant but you have to love the color.  oh and the leaning tower of mail receptacle:

and then further down the street and around the corner, we ran into this guy:

he got too nervous as i tried to get closer.  his mate was there too.  he was biggun.

then out to lunch with nancy, who by the way brought me some pretty clippings for my window sill.

a little much needed weeding and then grilled swordfish, onion/baked taters and green beans.  slurp.

ok, so life is not exciting but it is happy.

72 . . .

a little exercise.  a little grocery shopping.  a little washing.  a little roast chicken stuffed with garlic and lemon.  a little sleeping kitten with an apparently cold nose:

usually she covers her eyes from the light but the windows were open and the air was crisp.

these are things that make me happy.

71 . . .

joanie and i headed out to "downtown delightful deland" to their indie market on artisan alley.  how's that for a mouthful.  it would not break my heart if i were forced to move to deland.  what a cool town.  anyway here are some of the shots:

but seriously, who doesn't want to live in a downtown environment this neat:

oh yes and then there was food.  joanie and i raided an indian food truck for basmati rice bowls full of beans, spinach, cucumbers, chutney and other goodies.  cool but spicy.  just perfect:

i think i died and went to heaven.  and the weather?  perfecto!!!!  happiness abounds.