In my profile, I wrote:
"I find the wonder and joy in life. The infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand, the joy of tasting a juicy, ripe peach. Intense, playful, passionate and determined, I have fun every day."
"We all need more low-level ecstasy in our lives."
Living in a triplex, I prune and fertilize rose bushes around the building. I'm the only person who cuts flowers.
Fragrant roses on the table delight me. Reading a beautifully-written passage. My daughter's laugh. Birdsong. Shimmering water. Hummingbirds. Small pleasures.
Barbara Kingsolver wrote the world's shortest sex scene :
"I took his head in my hands and gave him the kiss I'd been thinking about for the last two hours. It lasted a good long while...Just being held felt unbelievably good, the long drink I'd been dying for.
"Something inside his buttoned shirt pocket made a crackling cellophane sound. I raised up a little and poked it with my finger. "If you've got a condom in your pocket, Loyd Peregrina, this is my lucky day."
"He did. It was."
From "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver.
---the smell of fresh ground coffee waiting to be brewed
---my little black cat running down the path to catch up with me and get a bit of love
---an unexpected phone call from a friend I haven't heard from for a while
---no mail...no bills, no junk, nothing
---finding my keys right where I last left them...
---being able to see and touch my toes from a standing position
---the arms of a man reaching around me from behind, whispering that my scent drives him wild
---crisp, white sheets
---a smile from a stranger for no reason
---blocking people that do not add to my life experience (ha)
yeah...thanks for the reminder that the little things make a big difference...
Love your sense of humor!
@LiterateHiker ---people who appreciate me...
@LiterateHiker She is skilled at making people smile.
@Unity That is very sweet of you...thank you...
Summer rain
Crystal clear mountain lakes
Cloudless summer nights
@JimG
The last pic shows a Dolly Varden trout in Merritt Lake, WA.
@JimG
I love hiking to high alpine lakes with jagged mountain peaks and white glaciers.
@LiterateHiker Those are amazing pics. I never got a chance hike in Washington, but I hit the Rockies in Colorado a few times and went on long patrols in California.
@JimG
Thank you. I took all of the photos except, obviously, the one of me at Lake Colchuck. Washington State.
@LiterateHiker They are all amazing pictures. I'm sorry to see that you have to sit out some prime hiking weather.
The dolly varden looks a lot like our brook trout which is not actually a trout, by the way.
A) Cracking off exactly three squares of the dark chocolate candy bar from Aldi to eat after dinner. B) Fresh sheets and pillowcases on a bed. C) When my kitty honors me by sitting on my lap. D) Biking on a wooded trail and hearing birdsong along the way. E) The scent of the peony and the lilac bush. F) Watching over my little garden in the spring as the days get warmer.
Ahhh, birdsong! In the mountains, Western Meadowlarks singing are a sign of Spring.
My 3 cats. Every day they spend time loving me. They are great spirits in small packages.
I must go down to the woods again, to the lonely trees and the sky,
And all I ask is the tall trees and the moon to see paths by;
And the saplings whip and the wind’s song and the broad leaves shaking,
And a grey mist across a grassy knoll, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the woods again, for the call of the running hind
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a breezy day with the white clouds flying,
And the foxes play and the badgers hide, and the owl eerily crying.
I must go down to the woods again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the buzzards way and the doves way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when this long trick’s over.
Root beer floats
Assembling a jigsaw puzzle
Thunderstorms
Water moving over rocks in a stream
Nuzzling my puppies
Wind blowing through the trees
Hearing a song from ages past and remembering all the words as if it were yesterday
Saxophones
Watching old episodes of the Carol Burnett Show, seeing Tim Conway bust everyone up laughing as they try to stay in character
Hearing my dog dreaming
Telling bad pins to my daughter
Bowling a strike
The smoothness of freshly shaved legs
Cary Grant movies
Oops, bad puns... not pins...
The touch and loves I give and get from my animals. The warmth of sunlight. The new leaves from my pine trees. The love people share online.
craft beer, good whiskey; which i have in front of me right now. and pizza which we'll be having shortly.
Looking out the back patio door. No patio but a small wooden deck with stairs. Finch feeders 10 ft away, have lots of different birds. Rabbits, bigger birds, and squirrels feed off the ground below and birds sit on the deck, cat watches through the window, drives him crazy. Have a trellis off to the side with clematis, see a hummingbird now and then feeding there.
The decadent sensory overload that is gently swinging in my hammock, with a light breeze, reading a book, and a cold drink nearby.
Growing up, I LOVED reading while swinging gently in the hammock on the lakeside of our house.
A delicious, soothing sensation.
Eventually, my nemesis younger brother dumped me out, laughing. With four kids, everyone wanted the hammock.
@LiterateHiker My neighbor has a little pond is his backyard and when it gets warmer, the frogs croak from their hiding spots. Makes for an indulgent experience.
I fell asleep to the symphony of frogs croaking, crickets clicking, katydids ticking, and cicadas whirring during hot, throbbing summers.
Lily's sugar-free chocolate. Mmmmmmm....
Being greeted by my dogs.
When my bluenose gives a full-throated howl.
The smell of my fingers after pinching a bud.
Sunset clouds lighting the scene pink and purple.
Unloading new photographs that are sharply focused.
Whenever my lady gives me a hug from behind.
Being outside. Smelling the ocean & watching the waves roll in. Having one of my pups on my lap. Giving my pony a hug and inhaling that wonderful horse perfume. Talking to my dad. And all of the things you wrote - but I do have a problem remembering to cut my roses, I like to walk by & smell the roses....
Watching a truly funny or thoughtful (or both) movie or TV show - the kind that either makes you fall over laughing or makes you go "wow"... a dish of cold ice cream on a hot day... a cup of hot coffee or tea on a cold day... coming upon a work of art or other form of creativity that stops me in my tracks... coming upon something in nature that stops me in my tracks... an awesome meal with a good friend... an awesome conversation with a good friend... accomplishing at least one small challenging thing each day... getting involved in a creative project... wicked humor... having a day - or even an afternoon, or even an hour - with little or no physical pain... a good night's sleep...
The golden rays of sun in the fall with a whispering breeze in the trees, or a good book in a bed swing coasting next to the wine grapes in southern France