Furry babies and other things that I love (an incomplete list)

There are many things that I love, or, if love is too strong a word, perhaps I should just say that there are many things that I like, things that make me happy. Yet my philosophy about lists tells me that I may try to list all of these things but the list will never be complete because no list is ever complete. (Trust me on this one or try it yourself. Write down all of the chores you need to do around the house. You may think that you have everything listed, but give yourself an hour or two or three and you'll find that you keep coming back to the list and adding to it, even though you know that there is no way you'll ever accomplish everything on that list.) So here is a partial list -- with pictures -- of some things that I love. It's nice to focus on the positive, don't you think?

Vietnam (or travel in general).

Of course travel to beautiful destinations means that I miss seeing what I love most in the world, my fury babies:

When I am at home, my furry doggy baby, Lotus, comes with me just about everywhere, even when it means she'll have to sit under an apple tree while Mommy spends hours picking fruit. Of course I'll share some apples with Lotus. She thinks that they are treats and she's right, I just happen to prefer my apples in liquid hard cider form.

Asian pears are perhaps the best fruit ever: sweet and crunchy.

In the summer I have hops growing around the pillars on my front step. Not only are they beautiful and green, they grow so quickly! When the conditions are right -- plenty of sun and water -- they can grow several inches in a day and they wind themselves around the pillars (and anything else that happens to get in their way). It's amazing to watch. Hops also have another purpose: beer.

I love flowers, but I don't like all the work of annuals. Who wants to have to plant something every single year? This photo, however, shows that I will make an exception now and then. Sometimes these flowers, too, will make an exception to their annual rule and surprise me by coming back the next spring. I don't mind.

When it's sunny (which sometimes seems like a rarity here), I find my furry kitty babies, Nick and Nora (think Hammett, not Hollywood), looking like adorable cats curled up together in the sunlight.

Sometimes the furry babies can cause some good-natured frustration, like when I see berries growing in the yard and rush inside to find a bowl for harvest only to return and discover that Lotus, too, loves berries and didn't need a bowl.

A day of running after squirrels or sleeping in sunbeams can be exhausting. And few things in life are cuter than pictures of a dog and kittens sleeping together.

It's because my babies are so cute and I love being around them that I am happy to get a snow day or two in the winter...just not enough snow to keep us cooped up for weeks on end.

When it is cold and snowy and I have a miraculously free day, sometimes I like to spend it studying history or reading a good historical novel. (I really wanted a snow day earlier this week so that I could finish reading my current novel, Douglass's Women.)

Snow days and being stuck inside for a day or two is very nice, but I do love long walks to see beautiful neighborhoods -- exercise for my body and soul.

Occasionally the walks can inspire the desire to create art in some form, usually using spray paint.

Or sometimes the walks will make me dream that I am on a plane flying somewhere fun.

However, sometimes seeing all the other gardens of my fellow neighbors on my walk reminds me that I have my own work to do. It's not always pleasant, but I do enjoy growing food because this leads to two of my favorite activities: cooking and eating.

If we had more space, we'd probably plant our own grapes and that way Honey could make wine without always having to travel to The Gorge to buy a few tons here and there.

Perhaps it's best that we don't have to tend vineyards and gardens that are that large. It gives me more time at home to admire my beautiful furry babies. And few things in life are better than curling up with a pile of cute furriness.