Ten Things I'm Liking Right Now

1.  The past few days have been heavenly.  They start off with deliciously cool mornings, then heat up to balmy days, and then by bedtime are wonderfully cool again.  Ben and I call this "good sleeping weather" though many mornings I'm up by 5:30 or 6:00 when the wonderful morning air and sunrise call to me to be out of bed.  The gardens are dry but still thriving with the help of drip irrigation.  I love seeing the plants by the patio each morning when I go out with my cup of coffee.

2.  What a relief to find a good book!  I've been hard to please lately, but I must read!

I couldn't finish this one.  I'm sure it was my fault; just didn't sustain my interest. 

Parts of this one were amazingly good. What a fabulous description of "war" between parents and teens; you just had to laugh at her imagery.  She also writes a less funny but still very revealing description of "war" between spouses.  Set way back in the 60's, it was interesting to read an "adult" perspective of the age I lived through as a preteen and teen.   But it was too long and I didn't like the ending.  I liked her Foreign Affairs much better.

But the "third time is the charm: and this book is working for me completely.  Thank heavens; a reader has to read!

3.  But I also like to watch some series and Handmaids Tale about killed me.  Season 1 was a retelling of the book, so it was expected.  But season two was a horror; so horrible that I couldn't bear to watch season 3.  (Since I also couldn't bear not to know what happened, I read all the reviews.)  Now I'm really into Succession.  It isn't for everyone; the non-stop profanity and overall meanness could be a show-stopper for some. But I find the dialogue very funny and clever and the plot riveting.   

4.  I like anticipating things.  I mostly live in the moment but sometimes there's a lot to anticipate and I love it.  Now is one of those times.  Coming up on the slate is a new tile floor for the entryway (Monday), new windows (someday in the next few months), new screen doors for the balcony and patios (whenever clever Ben figures out how to make them),  and--- wait for it--- our new puppy who we are bringing home September 8th.  

Look at this cutie, who is either our dog or our dog's brother.  Final "allocation" of the three males from this litter will be decided the end of next week, since one of these lucky dudes gets to be a stud dog.  

Good grief, they are cute.  Guess it's a good thing since I hear all puppies bite with those sharp teeth for quite a while!

Courtesy of  Gorgeousdoodles.com 

And, on top of that I'm anticipating a trip to Cleveland on Saturday where I'll meet my sister and our good friend Janice for our 19th annual yearly get-together.   It's always fun to see them.

Courtesy of CertaPet.com

5. I do love anticipating things but sometimes immediate gratification is great.  On Sunday I decided to see what these "E-bikes" I'd been hearing about were like, so I walked down to our local bike shop and took one out for  a test drive.  I hadn't been able to understand how these bikes worked, but once I was on one and hit my first hill I got it, big time.

When you go up a hill or are just getting tired you hit the "assist" button and an angel reaches down and gently gives you a push!  Awesome.  (Not a technical explanation, I know, but you get the idea).  Perfect for someone like me who has loved biking for the past thirty years but now finds I can't go as far or do the hills very easily.  I haven't been on a bike hardly at all this summer, which is sad given that this is such a big biking town, even with all its hills.  But I've done about thirty miles on this one in the past three days. 

And if the ease of pedaling wasn't enough, check out the beautiful crimson and black color and nifty styling.  I got a Turbo Vado 4.0 by Specialized and I love it.  I feel like its taken 40 pounds and 40 years off of me.

Courtesy of BadBikes 

6.  And then there's the new hiking poles Ben got me the other day.  I didn't anticipate getting them because I already had a pair, but I must say that their ability to fold up and slip into my pack has won me over.  Thanks, Ben!

7.  Our little Sheba is really settling in.  Actually you could say she has some of us wrapped around her finger.

8.  The CU students are back and while they can be annoying by leaving trash around after their wild nights and hogging all parking and crowding the restaurants, still they are interesting to watch and often good for a laugh.  I thought this display at the local Bed, Bath & Beyond was funny.  Did they really sell all these plastic drawer units?  I'll have to go back and see. 

9.  Wining and dining around here, especially on a midweek night when the students are studying (I guess), continues to be a pleasure.  Ben and I really enjoy walking downtown and sitting at the bar of one of our favorite restaurants, especially on these lovely late summer nights.  

10.  I like that I couldn't think of too many things to put on my "Before I die" list.  We saw this sign in Buena Vista last weekend and I gave a lot of thought to what I'd write.  I finally decided that I'd say "Before I die I want to see Paul living happily with friends or family and working at a satisfying job." Not very unique, I'm sure, but still true for me.  Ah, those teen years.  Lucky the parent who doesn't worry.  

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Linking to my friend LeeAnna's "I Like Thursdays" at Not Afraid of Color