I read somewhere today that in the interest of keeping your mind positive, you should list three good things about your life each day. So I've started this, somewhat private (meaning that I'm not going to link to it anywhere...but you're certainly welcome to come and read it) blog for that purpose. Every day I will try to list three good things about my life that day, or about my life in general.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Dog World

1. Puppies are getting better about taking the bottle.

2. Polly and Shiloh have adapted to having babies in the house

3. Got our recovered couch cushions back from the upholsterer. (I haven't brought them into the house to see how they look on the couch yet, tho.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Puppies

1. we now have three new puppies. More weeks of "puppy breath" is always a good thing.

2. the puppies have taken well to the bottle

3. I rescued the "Mama bear" and got her washed and these puppies, as with several litters before them have snuggled up to her.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

1. Any day I go to SF is a good day.

2. Seeing City Hall all decked out in Giants celebration stuff, and lit up in orange at night made my heart sing.

3. The Lamplighters gala was hilarous.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

A TJ Day

1. The dogs didn't get adopted (I'm starting to dread thinking about when they do.

2. Shopping at Trader Joe's

3. TJ's rack of lamb is fabulous.

Friday, November 5, 2010

...and more Communication

1. A letter from Fred, in the Philippines

2. Nice e-mail from a friend I hadn't heard from in several months.

3. Filling two shoe boxes for the Samaritan's Purse project (giving gifts to children around the world at Christmas)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Communication

1. Shortbread

2. Finding an old friend on Facebook

3. Two Postcrossing postcards received

One is Enough


...but if you need two more:

2. The sheer joy all over San Francisco today during the Giants' triumphant parade to City Hall and the ceremonies there.

3. A lovely surprise phone call.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Winners

1. Omigawd...the Giants WON!!!!! After 56 years, the World Series Championship has come to San Francisco.

2. After today, I never ever have to see another Meg Whitman ad again (and if the gods are kind, I won't have to see her again either!)

3. I slept all night long with no insomnia last night.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Misc. thoughts

1. The Giants won game 3

2. A nice upholstery man is going to fix my dog-eaten couch (I don't know how much this is going to cost me yet)

3. I took a 3 hour nap, which helped greatly after not being able to sleep at all last night.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Ephemera

1. A nice Skype chat with an old friend

2. An inside joke that nobody got but me.

3. As of this writing, the Giants are winning (but I realize that could change in an instant!)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Friday, October 29, 2010

This 'n' That

1. Trader Joe's opened!

2. Chocolate covered pomegranate seeds

3. A Friday Night Lights orgy

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Happiness

1. Giants win second game of the World Series!!

2. Finding the perfect "security blanket" to send as a gift

3. Happiness is a warm puppy

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Mixed emotions

1. Sleeping until 9 a.m.

2. A canceled lunch date (I really didn't feel like going today anyway)

3. Such nice things said about my work on the newspaper.

A relaxing day

1. A canceled luncheon--I didn't really feel like going out to lunch anyway.

2. A new web site designed for my Compassion kids. I hope to keep it up as I hear from them.

3. 9 hours of sleep!!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

On the road again

1. A lovely afternoon with my mother.

2. Two whole hours to listen to my Lee Childs book in the car.

3. McDonald's iced mocha (which I always get on the drive back home)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Weather changes

1. The first rain of the season! I love rain.


2. Having a wonderful brunch with old friends we haven't seen in years.

3. Onion-balsamic potato chips, a new discovery.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

TV Good things

1. Cleaning off all the stuff that was recorded on the DVR when we were in DC

2. Any day with an NCIS marathon is a good day

3. Audra McDonald singing Frank Loesser's "I can't stop talking about him." Amazing!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Christmas in October

1. Getting the package for my compassion kids into the mail before the deadline. Yay me!

2. Naps

3. drinking ice cold water

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Good friends

1. We had dinner with friends we have known for 50 years. Old friends are the best!

2. Finding a friend I've not seen or heard from in about 15 years!

3. I've been matched with Clarisse, a woman in Rwanda, and look forward to getting to know her.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Conflicted emotions

1. the fact that Polly's possible foster family backed out is both a good thing and a bad thing. Bad thing because she won't be adopted. Good thing because in my heart of hearts I don't really want her to go.

2. Artwork from the granddaughter.


3. Fall's in the air. I love getting up and feeling like I should put on a sweater.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

After a break

1. Taking a break to go on a nice trip is a good thing!

2. Any bread with enough butter, sugar and cinnamon is good.

3. Looks like Polly is headed for a forever home in a couple of weeks.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Health-ful

1. My root planing is finished.

2. I also got my long-overdue lab work done, my mammogram done, and got a flu shot.

3. The mail brought a Postcrossing postcard from Slovenia and a letter from our Compassion child, Fred in the Philippines.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Happy Birthday

1. Such fun being at the birthday party for our 90 year old friend, Arthur.

2. Hearing The Lamplighters sing Happy Birthday--sure to cheer anybody's heart!

3. The Giants won the Western Division championship.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

The GOOD part of the day

1. The going away party for Ashley was fun, especially since she's not really going away.

2. I was brave enough to try out my new camera and am happy with the results. Most of them.

3. The NCIS marathon

Of course then the bad part of the day came, learning of the suicide of a friend, and it kind of overshadows the good.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Food, Glorious Food

1. Finding U-No bars (which are almost impossible to find)

2. I'm beginning to be hooked on "Friday Night Lights"

3. Home made pizza--yummy

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Painless Thursday

1. Finished the first half of root planing, with no pain.

2. Great chance to read for 2 hours while the hygienist was doing the procedure.

3. Now I have a brand new Sonicare toothbrush.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Busy Day

1. Had a nice lunch with my friend Ruth.

2. Fruit smoothie at Ciocolat, where I was having a meeting.

3. Having the last word with someone who always has a "I can top that" attitude. There's not much you can say to top 2 dead kids!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Solving Problems

1. Having several hours of sleep last night (I thought I was going to be awake most of the night)

2. My friend came through her pacemaker surgery just fine. Whew.

3. Discovering that last night's super spicy hot meatballs are OK if sliced and made into a sandwich with lots of mayonnaise.

New Project

1. Spending the entire day on the fun project I'm working on (though I can't say what it is yet)

2. New pictures of Brianna.

3. Finding an e-mail I didn't realize I had. I hope it will solve my parking ticket problem.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Stuff

1. The Choir, BBC's fun reality show.

2. The house is (more or less) clean(er) than usual.

3. Starting to learn my new camera

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Mail call

1. Wonderful chatty, handwritten letter from Jeri

2. Got my first two Postcrossing postcards! (from Germany and Belgium)

3. I finally cleaned the family room/hall floor

Friday, September 24, 2010

A relief

1. My mother now has a Lifeline pendant and I told her that if she dares to die while NOT wearing it (as my father did), I would bury her with her disliked mother-in-law.

2. Always special when I can spend time with my mother.

3. I found some interesting postcards to use for the postcard project and a couple of small calendars for the Compassion kids. A good shopping day.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Christmas in September

1. Finding some great smelling soaps at Cost Plus to get for my mother for Christmas...gardenia, coconut, and strawberry...and a fun water bottle for Peggy.

2. Getting a letter from one of our Compassion Kids, Anjali, who lives in India.

3. Learning that my friend Ruth is also a Judy Garland fan.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Daddy's Home

1. Walt got home.

2. He likes the wi fi I got while he's away.

3. My new camera arrived!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Lots of good stuff

1. Luxuriating in 3 hours of audio Gabaldon

2. Getting a 2-for-1 deal at Verizon on a cell phone holder.

3. I was able to transfer $1,000 from my checking to savings. Thanks, Social Security!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Good stuff today

1. Crab/cream cheese won ton. Yumm

2. Great production of Camelot this afternoon.

3. Really nice chat with Ned today.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Party time

1. So relieved to finally have "the talk" with my mother and to discover she's not as against doing some safety measures as I feared.

2. Thoroughly enjoyed myself at my sister-in-law's birthday party.

3. More audio book, adding 2-1/2 more hours of the Gabaldon book. I'm very much loving this book!

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Cops

1. So grateful for the Davis Police who came and arrested the man who broke into the house in the middle of the night and fell asleep on my couch!

2. It's always a good day when there is a telephone call from Peggy

3. I enjoyed Romeo and Juliet more than I expected (I'm not a big Shakespeare fan)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Audio Books

1. I'm in part 5 of the 6-part Diana Gabaldon book, which I'm loving, so glad that I had a chance to be in the car for about an hour today.

2. Another lunch with a friend, this time at Olive Garden in Sacramento.

3. Putnam County Spelling Bee at the University tonight.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

PB and Puppies

1. The morning "lick your face" peanut butter circle of puppies.

2. Television (wrote a journal entry about White Collar vs. Friday Night Lights)

3. Lunch at a Chinese buffet with a friend

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Rejoice with me...

1. I found the CD that we bought in Russia that I thought I had lost (also a post card, 3 magnets, and a keychain)

2. I had a note on Facebook from a guy I worked with 50 years ago.

3. It looks like autumn is really here, with trees starting to change color, and temperatures dropping. Summer is finally over.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Kids and Puppies

1. I love writing to my sponsored kids through Compassion, Int'l. I wrote 6 letters, sent a card to our granddaughter, and decided to sponsor a woman through Woman to Woman, International.

2. Dairy Queen's Swiss Mushroom burger. Yummy!

3. Watching the little dogs' "check everybody's mouth" lick-in after giving all medications in blobs of peanut butter.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Media happiness

1. A full night of sleep. I just love it when I wake up feeling rested.

2. Getting caught up on all the stuff recorded on the DVR while the TV was out.

3. Christopher Guest. (Watched "A Mighty Wind")

Saturday, September 11, 2010

More New Toys

1. We bought a new TV. I'm back in business again!

2. Cool, clear water. I love having a water cooler in the house.

3. Having the whole day with no commitments.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Oooo...new toys

1. FINALLY ordering a faux DSLR and even doing it up front, telling Walt I was ordering it. Planning to go on walks around town and elsewhere, learning how to use the camera and getting my body in better shape for China.

2. Such amazing support from Internet friends on my dust-up with XXXXX re my mother's deteriorating condition. People are so kind and so helpful!

3. Planning to buy supplies for the Viking school we are going to visit on our trip to China. Very excited about that!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

More simple pleasures

1. Watching MGM musicals from the 40s on TCM all day today, as I work, those silly showcase musicals purporting to the biography of some song writer. But most of them included Judy Garland in the cast, and that's always fun.

2. The antics of the 3 little dogs have been a total joy today, especially Buttercup's claiming an empty shelf in the CD bookcase as a bed.


3. Meeting a good friend we haven't seen in years for dinner.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Simple pleasures

1. Jon Stewart back from vacation

2. Leftover chocolate cake with potato chips.

3. Being back at the computer, after 1-1/2 days without!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Cousins Day #2

1. Having an hour-plus in the car to listen to my audio book (Part 4, of 6, of Diana Gabaldon's "The Drums of August")

2. The comfortable relationship my mother, cousins and I have developed these past 2+ years.

3. Finally winning at 65.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Cousins Day

1. Tomorrow is Cousins Day and my cousin Kathy, who thought she was not going to be able to join us, is feeling well enough after all. I'm very happy about that.

2. That Walt has taken on the job of keeping the living room poop free and cleaning up the urine spots (hoping that he'll eventually get sick of it and we'll finally get the new flooring!) But he's a good guy and I appreciate him.

3. I fixed my recliner. I thought my weight had broken it, but it was just a part of a leash caught in the mechanism. Made me feel good about myself that I had fixed it without asking for help.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Books and Puppies

1. My friend Toni Bernhard's new book, "How to Be Sick." While I am not myself sick at the moment, this book, which I just received and am now reading, is such a positive, joyous look at how to live life, even in the face of overwhelming odds that it is my #1 good thing today. I have sent a copy of this book to my cousin, who is dealing with chronic illness and am hoping that it will help her have a better outlook.

2. Shiloh. We traded our foster dog, Bella, for our previous foster dog, Shiloh, who fits in here so much better than Bella did. Both are lovely dogs, but it's nice to have Shiloh back. We only let him go because he had surgery and needed to be kept quiet and around here that was proving to be impossible, so for his recovery, we asked that he be moved. But he's now able to get around and can run with the other dogs, so he's back. It's such a joy to watch him playing with Polly and Buttercup.

3. Puppy Breath. Our foster puppy, Buttercup (Bella's daughter), is still young enough to have "puppy breath." Now that she is weaned and on solid food, I know that this will soon disappear and she will have "dog breath," but the nicest times are often when you have puppy breath to sniff.