Ten Reasons to Smile

From what I read and see on the news, it's clear that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, as my parents used to say.  But in our own smaller worlds, there are still plenty of reasons to smile. 

1.  We had a damp and chilly weekend but today the sun is out and the temperature is back up into the mid 60's, which makes everything seem more cheerful. 

2.  The foothills are snow-touched and the high peaks are snow-covered, both lovely sights.

3.  Everything is going well with the music parents group that I chair at the high school.  After a big push for beginning-of-the-school year donations at the Musical Showcase concert we are in a bit of a pause, which is quite welcome.  Mid-October starts another big push of activity, but for the moment things are blissfully calm. 

4.  On a recent trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens I fell in love with flowering Jerusalem artichokes.  Had never seen them growing in the garden and blooming, and it captivated me.  I think this is my next flower wall hanging.  Or would it be a vegetable wall hanging?   

5.  We tackled a big hike last Thursday, the popular Royal Arch trail.  It's not so long -- only 3.4 miles up and back -- but it's relentlessly steep and rocky, earning it a "difficult" rating by All Trails.  We were only going up partway to see the stone stairs that Ben had helped build in 2015, but having gotten that far and feeling pretty good we decided to just do the rest of the hike and tick it off our list.  It was a chilly and foggy day which suited us just fine though the fog did keep us from seeing the views from the top. 

6.  Seeing the steps that Ben made me smile.  You go, Ben! We can make a difference.

7.  I had a fun time going to see the Rockies play the Dodgers on Sunday.  Although it was a slow game and the Rockies lost, it was my first time at Coors Field and I loved seeing the mountains in the background.

8.  Paul has a massive case of "Senioritis" and is throwing himself into theater to make his last year of school enjoyable.  (I did the same thing my last year of high school.)  He's been collaborating with other theater kids to create a poster advertising the upcoming haunted house, in which he will play the "Jumping Clown."   Sounds too scary for me! 

9.  The weather has been perfect for indoor work like decluttering and making little home improvements.   Two duvets, two sleeping bags, one big blow up mattress, a luggage rack, several good jackets and lots of miscellaneous small objects have left the house to find new homes.  The result is that our closets are less packed and more usable, especially after Ben hung up some new racks for hanging purses and the like. 

10.  I finished up a little piece the other day and was pleased with how it turned out.  Way back in May I showed you this photo of some works in progress on my design wall.

Well, the upper right piece turned into this little guy, just 12x12" but packing a lot of color and style, in my humble opinion.  It's hanging outside my studio and I'm happy to see it there.

Linking to my friend LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color, and her "I Like Thursdays" series.