I am the very pleased recipient of the "Tree of Happiness" award, given to me by Rhubarb Whine. Many thanks.



Now if I have this straight I'm supposed to name six things which make me happy and then award the tree to some others. The first step should be easy enough.

1) My husband Gary. Before Gary came along I don't think I understood the concept of being loved for who you are. He's my playmate, my soulmate, my friend. And he has the patience of Job. Trust me when I say that dealing with me on a daily basis requires a lot of this.

2) The Boys. I am so thrilled that I get to raise people I genuinely like and enjoy being with. They make me smile and laugh daily.

3) All our pets, but especially Solomon, my German Shepherd. I blogged sometime back about Solomon's failing health. We may very well be spending our last year together so we're making it count--lots of extra walks and cookies and loving. He has a magnificent sense of humor and the joy with which he greets life is contagious. Sol is unquestionably one of the things that makes me happy.

4) Friends make me happy. I'm (apparently) an extrovert with some seriously introverted qualities (I guess I like my space and the older I get, the more I need it). So I have lots of acquaintances, but very few friends. Consequently, the handful I have are extremely important to me.

5) "Good" words. Well written literature or poetry, or lyrics, or a well-expressed thought or word picture. Whenever I run across one of these, I pause, bask in it, and commit it to memory.

6) Music. Almost any kind, but I love live music the best. I come from a family of amateur musicians; four out of five of us kids play instruments and sing. I sing a little (used to sing a lot with a gospel group) and play a little guitar. But my oldest son, Jeremiah is a gifted musician (This has both startled and pleased the rest of us) and my third borne is learning to play as well. Listening to Jeremiah fills me with a nearly overwhelming joy.

I'm going to award the tree of happiness to the following people. Whether or not they pass it along is entirely up to them, but it's more fun if you do. :)

Visiting Scotty's blog is an adventure in and of itself. I love to see what's caught his eye from day to day. Scotty is also a talented poet and good friend.

Debby often says what I wish I'd said first. My husband once described her as Erma Bombeck incarnate, which is high praise as well as accurate.

Julie Carter Not long after I joined Pffa I ran across Julie Carter's poetry and was especially struck by the power in "Richard Cory's Bullet". I've been a fan ever since. On top of that, Julie likes cats. A lot. What's not to appreciate?

David keeps a journal of short stories and poetry online. David's mind goes interesting places. David, I just found out, is an X-filer too.

Dennis Bryant blogs about politics and his opinions and he does it well. Dennis has also written a book entitled Theodosia's Flock which is quite good, especially for a first book. I got a peek at the first few pages of the sequel and can't wait for the rest (hint, hint). You can learn more about him HERE