- when the branches of the trees on either side of the street meet in the middle and form a canopy
- rustic sourdough bread, toasted crisp and served hot spread with melting butter and blackberry jam
- surprise recurring characters
- sukiyaki with friends
- shower puffs and fragrant, foaming shower gel
- the "fortunes" in the lids of Jones Sodas - like an extra little surprise
- icy-cold, sugar-free Jones Cream Soda that smells like cotton candy
- Japanese restaurant décor
- supportive and encouraging friends
- the weekly ritual of watching favourite Sunday evening TV shows with my husband while munching popcorn
- caramel steamed milk
- a freshly-done manicure
- a simple Italian salad of fresh sliced tomatos and garlic, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt and freshly-ground pepper
- unwrapping a Mini Babybel cheese
- achieving a long-awaited goal
- a refreshing shower with nice-smelling soap
- the brilliant green of steamed broccoli
- "AHA!" moments
- a place for everything, and everything in its place
- making a fresh tossed salad that's a medley of colours and flavours: mixed leafy greens, ripe red tomatoes, red and orange and yellow peppers, white mushrooms, shredded purple cabbage, celery, cucumber, shredded carrots, chopped green onions
- Nag Champa incense
- clear, crisp, pure, icy-cold drinking water
- being out enjoying the city, and running into friends who are also out enjoying the city
- BookCrossing
- dried strawberries
- satiny embroidered Asian handbags
- paper cranes
- solving all the world's problems over multiple cups of coffee throughout an evening
- a lit votive candle in a clear glass holder
- black enamelled chopsticks
- the artistry and beauty and goodness of sushi
- Simon & Garfunkel
- watching a dry, thirsty plant come back to life after giving it a drink
- a successful trip to the library - lots of intriguing books to read, and all for free!
- rich hot chocolate with real whipped cream on top
- the way Spider sleeps, curled up with a paw hooked over her nose
- going blackberrying - buckets full of yummy free treats... making blackberry apple crisp and eating it hot, with whipped cream and strong black coffee
- glass bricks
- dessert at Moxie's - the contrast of a warm white chocolate brownie topped with icy-cold French vanilla ice cream, smooth whipped cream and warm chocolate sauce
- the way my husband makes "points" with fabric - shirts, pillowcases, sheets - usually without even realizing he's doing it
- Grandma's tiered wooden sewing box... her gift to me
- milk chocolate
- stationery and office supply stores... strolling the aisles with my sister, under no time limits or restrictions, with money in my wallet
- brewing espresso in a pot on the stove... heating and frothing milk... making a perfect little cappucino sprinkled with cinnamon
- my husband's caricature of "Charlie the Fry Cook" with a gruff, "Toast's up"
- chocolate pudding
- our revamped (by us!) speakers - green-stained cabinets and new delicately-patterned fabric with Chinese characters, cats, and bees
- playing a game or two of Boggle
- Celestial Seasonings Vanilla Maple tea with milk and brown sugar
- the purity of clear glass canisters filled with supplies - epsom salts... coarse salt... sea salt... baking soda... cornstarch... skim milk powder...citric acid - for homemade bath products
- collecting magazine pictures of pretty things
- two good movies in a row (sometimes three!) at The Roxy for only $5
- the smell of movie popcorn
- making decoupage light switch plates - mini pieces of art
- spiral-bound notebooks
- spicy chai lattes sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg
- William Shatner's "Has Been"
- swirly designs
- getting "real" mail or e-mail from friends or family - not junk mail or bills or spam or mailing list stuff... but real, personal correspondence
- plump Shanghai noodles with stir-fried bok choy and spicy pork
- curling up for a mid-afternoon nap under our "How Do I Love Thee" Boyds Bears blanket
- paisley
- the feeling of confidence after having a professional haircut and style with good-smelling hair products
- a cat's purr
- the feel of cool, creamy moisturizer on warm skin
- peppermint tea
- a sense of pride in making a good choice
- cooked beet greens
- the moment in a song where you start to sing along
- a special new mug
- the warm smell of roasting chicken
- listening to the comforting swish of the dishwasher running in the background
- cheery yellow, brown-flecked, sweet and juicy, ripe Bartlett pears
- hours-long conversations with friends at a local café
- buying fruit and veggies in Chinatown
- freshly ground black pepper
- cosy grey-and-red white-heeled-and-toed work socks
- finished projects
- flannel shirts
- little, out-of-the blue kindnesses that take you by surprise
- collecting pebbles... mottled, striped, spotted, marbled, smooth, weathered... while walking on the beach
- Sharpies
- weekend secondhand book store prowls
- vanilla
- sitting in a cozy café all by myself... listening to music, drinking black coffee, journalling, people-watching, reading
- petting a friendly cat on my way to work
- buying the Christmas issue of Canadian Living Magazine (with the calendar and lots of coupons!) every year
- cutting open a fresh bag of coffee beans
- sandalwood
- writing on black paper with soft milky-pastel-coloured pens
- the house on Dallas Road with clear leaded-glass doors that sparkle in the sunlight
- handmade crocheted scarves
- "Corner Gas"
- enormous marinated green olives and crusty Portuguese buns with Genoa salami and havarti
- Labello lip balm
- knowing how to hand-code HTML
- small successes
- Mt. Royal bagels, fresh from the bakery in a brown paper bag
- getting organized in the fall and thinking towards the year ahead
- fun interior design, home improvement, and craft shows on TV
- ten unbroken fingernails of decent length
- being tired in the evening, but knowing you can sleep in the next day without guilt... then waking up in the morning with that delicious feeling of knowing that you can go back to sleep if you so desire
- kissing the top of Spider's sweet-smelling head or her velvety cheeks
- the crisp, smoky smell of fall in the air
- tassels
- Mom's Italian cheese ball soup
- finding that the newest Maeve Binchy book is finally out in paperback, and having enough cash to buy it... then taking it home and devouring it
- staying cozily inside on a bleak, rainy day and drinking Earl Grey tea with milk
- sweater season
- fall leaves in brilliant shades of gold, amber and crimson - gilding the trees, crunching underfoot, being raked into piles
- the contrast of silent, still, cool night air after leaving a noisy, crowded, hot club
- butter soft black leather gloves lined with soft white rabbit fur
- perfect, intricate seashells
- thinking you have no cash in your wallet because there are no bills... then discovering $10 in toonies
- creamy, spicy pumpkin pie with rich whipped cream and dark, strong coffee
- sand dollars
- closets and drawers full of clean, mended, wearable clothes
- lightning storms
- Long Beach and Tofino
- wrapping presents
- Christmas oranges... sweet, juicy, fragrant, easy to peel
- playing "Dutch Blitz" with family and/or friends... and being really good at it
- chocolate-scented MAC "Desire" lipstick in a matte black and silver case
- getting great coupons for something you were going to buy anyway
- a freshly-formatted hard drive
- tiny brown dropper bottles filled with fragrant essential oils
- the Lee Valley Christmas gift catalogue
- old houses - coved ceilings, hardwood floors, crown moldings, wood trim, deep baseboards, filigree grilles, built-in cabinets with stained glass doors, dark wood panelling
- enormous black cherries, sweet and juicy and firm
- frothy bubbles on the top of a freshly-poured cup of strong black coffee
- new makeup
- hot ginger tea with honey
- the potential of a thick blank book
- sterling silver
- thick black cotton turtleneck sweaters
- spicy incense with lazy, curling trails of soft grey smoke... inside when it's cold, outside on a warm summer evening
- White Rabbit candies wrapped in rice paper
- brown paper grocery bags
- lazy, cozy, puttering weekends
- cleaning a chalkboard with a shammy
- a win by my hockey team
- Body Shop eye pillows
- napping on the couch with Spider curled up in the crook of my arm, her head resting on the cushion
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - especially the crunchy ones!
- our 4-CD set of favourite music, played at our wedding reception
- scented tea light candles - café latte and ginger pumpkin
- a basketful of clean, vanilla-scented laundry done by my hubby, with Spider sleeping in the middle of it
- hand-me-downs from my sister
- the sound of the breadmaker kneading dough... then the warm, yeasty smell of fresh bread baking
- Indian food
- flower baskets hanging from lampposts
- the fresh ocean air smell permeating the hall of our office building
- finding all the "freebies" in a handful of sunflower seeds
- Spider's rare but very cute somersault
- online friendships
- wasabi rice crackers with wasabi peas
- Diet Coke with ice and a slice of lemon
- feeling loved... nurtured... cared for
- thick white terrytowel bathrobes
- the Hoh Rainforest in Washington State
- a box of transparent multi-neon-coloured floppy disks
- watching a glassblower at work
- hot, crisp buttered toast spread with Mom's pear-ginger marmalade
- metal-handled Chinese food cartons
- laughter - laughing so hard it hurts... laughing uncontrollably... laughing until you cry
- toasted cheese and peanut butter sandwiches
- making books by hand
- Squire Barnes' "Satellite Debris"
- vacation time at home - being downtown doing whatever I want while everyone else is stuck in the office
- cinnamon sprinkled over coffee grounds before brewing the pot
- honey pots with honey drippers
- Deluxe Scrabble
- waking up to find my love holding my hand
- Genmaicha - Japanese green tea and roasted rice... nutty and flavourful, with a few pieces of "popcorn" popped grains of rice included in the mix
- sleeping in
- a goosedown duvet and plump feather pillows
- Fleecy vanilla-scented fabric softener and dryer sheets
- new shoes
- unpacking and setting up a new home or office space
- perfect, seedless green grapes... sweet and firm, almost crunchy
- a "defined curls" hair day
- a perfectly straight hair day
- thick greenish glass bathroom counters with shiny silver fixtures
- the mixed-up collection of dishes at the cottage... choosing a "special" mug to use throughout your stay
- aromatherapy facials
- true freebies
- the way yarn comes out of the middle of the ball - magic!
- the goats on the roof at Coombs
- live theatre
- More-with-Less Cookbook (Doris Janzen Longacre) - more than just recipes... a whole philosophy of life
- A&W root beer in a frosty mug
- the silkiness of loose face powder
- watching grown men play like little boys
- brightly-coloured, plastic-coated paper clips
- twisted ropes of seaweed left on the beach at low tide
- old-fashioned clawfoot bath tubs
- a thick, clear glass bowl of ocean-polished beach glass
- pictures of Greece... blue sky, sparkling blue water, whitewashed houses
- Kinder Egg vehicles with moving parts
- old Pyrex mixing bowls and baking dishes with glass lids
- my love's smiling blue eyes
- Nalgene water bottles in jewel-tone colours
- ocean air... salty, seaweedy, fresh, envigorating
- thick, fluffy, soft, absorbent bath towels
- warm raisin scones with butter and honey
- the soft trickling of the water fountain on my desk
- cinnamon
- driving down Dallas Road on a sunny day, with sparkles all over the water and blue sky overhead
- amber perfume oil in a delicate glass-stoppered bottle
- Spider's pretty green eyes, one with a tiny little heart-shaped dark brown fleck
- pure white, silky-smooth sand
- organizer wallets
- burgundy velvet
- sweet and spicy freesias
- finding your favourite brand of anything on a phenomenal sale, and having the money to be able to stock up
- the greyness of the ocean on a rainy day
- refreshingly soft, misty rain
- a chat with a new friend at the bus stop
- the smell of a secondhand book store
- fresh flowers on your desk at work
- soft ice cream at the Beacon Hill Drive In
- mason jar mugs
- finding a stack of "People" magazines in the laundry room book exchange
- Bee & Flower Brand Sandalwood Soap - 59¢ in Chinatown!
- old round Volvos
- the aroma of dark roasted, freshly-ground coffee beans
- basic black
- speckled enamelware
- the feeling of satisfaction when a project is completed
- "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil" monkeys
- electric trains
- wooden back scratchers
- popping bubble wrap
- drops of lavender essential oil in an unglazed ceramic jar beside the bed
- peel-and-stick postage stamps
- milk in glass bottles
- discovering a secondhand shop full of treasures and possibilities and bargains
jun 6 2010 ∞
may 27 2012 +